§ 12. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that there is disappointment among the petty officers of the Royal Navy because petty officers' time over eight years is not to count as chief petty officers' time for pension in spite of the recommendations of the Jerram Committee that it should so count; whether their Lordships will reconsider this decision; and what would be the estimated annual cost of this concession?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI am aware of the disappointment to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers. The granting permission to petty officers to count time over eight years as if it were served in the rank of chief petty officer was a temporary measure, because owing to war circumstances, the men were not able to become chief petty officers at a reasonably early standing. The scale of pay and pension of chief petty officer and petty officer ratings has been improved so substantially that there is now no justification for the continuance of the temporary measure by which a petty officer was allowed to count time towards increase of pay and pension 1983 as if he were serving in a higher rating than that in fact held by him. These things being so, after careful consideration, the Board came to the conclusion that recommendation No. 36 of the Jerram proposals could not be approved. As regards the last part of the question, the annual cost is estimated at £1,600 for the first year, rising eventually to £45,000 a year.