§ 27. Mr. JOHN DAVISONasked the Home Secretary whether he will remove the ban placed by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on subscriptions being made by members of the National Union of Police and Prison Officers for the purpose of presenting a testimonial to officers retiring on pension, seeing that Section 5 (f) of the Police Superannuation Act, 1906, was created for the purpose of cheeking presentations from the members of the public only and not from police officers?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODTestimonials to retiring members of the force have hitherto been bonâ fide tributes of goodwill, shared in by practically every one of the retiring man's colleagues. Recently the National Union of Police and Prison Officers have sought to limit these testimonials to members of their body, presumably for the purpose of compelling all members of the police to join the union. This seems an abuse of a kind which is properly dealt with under Section 5 (f) of the Police Superannuation Act, 1906. The Commissioner informs me that it has been clearly proved that this move on the part of the union has prejudicially affected non-members of the union who have retired.
§ Mr. DAVISONCan the hon. Baronet state in what manner it has prejudicially affected the non-union men, and whether 1747 the principle which the policemen seek to apply to members of their union does not obtain in all other unions in the United Kingdom?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI have nothing to add in answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question. In answer to the second part, it has been laid down as a matter of policy that the Police Union is not comparable to any other union in the Kingdom.