§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state why the recommendation of the Commissioners of National Education in their Report for 1907–8, viz. to add ten years to a service of twenty-five years as teacher to qualify for pension, in case of mental or physical debility, was rejected; is the ever accumulating fund, amounting at present to £2,300,000 and partly built up by the teachers themselves, not considered sufficient to provide a better pension than £3 19s. 8d. per annum to teachers after twenty-six years service; and will he take into consideration the views of the teachers with a view to allaying the discontent existing amtongs them on the question of pensions.
(Answered by Mr. Hobhouse.) The refusal was based on financial grounds, the Treasury not being justified in asking Parliament to impose additional burdens upon the taxpayer in respect of this service, particularly at a time when proposals (since sanctioned at a cost of £114,000 a year) for the improvement of the salaries of Irish teachers were under consideration. The adoption of the proposals would in any case have involved extensive readjustment of a large part of the pension scheme, and would have resulted in serious inequalities as between different classes of teachers. The actuarial investigation made in 1906 shows that the accumulation of the fund is not sufficiently rapid to provide for its accruing liabilities. The average disablement allowance, however, in cases of retirement after twenty six years service is (even apart from the value of the premiums returned with compound interest) very considerably in excess of the amount stated in the Question. The representations of the Commissioners of National 2372 Education received very careful consideration before the decision to which the hon. Member refers was arrived at, and I do not think there would be any advantage in re-opening the question at the present time.