§ 24. Mr. SHORTasked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the fact that 11 of the leading railway companies are now co-operating with their staffs in contributing to supplementary funds for assisting the annuitants of the statutory superannuation funds who are in receipt of small allowances; whether he is aware 866 that the Great Northern and South-Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies are now the only two railway companies having separate superannuation funds who have so far declined to institute such supplementary funds for assisting these annuitants; whether the general secretary of the Railway Clerks' Association, supported by the contributing members of the funds in question, has made repeated representations to the companies to establish such funds; whether the contributing members, through their representatives, have indicated their willingness to contribute provided the companies will also contribute and sanction the use of the machinery of the statutory superannuation funds to collect the contributions of the staff and administer the funds; and whether he will make suitable representations to the two companies concerned to induce them to act in a similar manner to those companies who have acceded to the request of their staffs in this matter?
§ Sir E. GEDDESI understand that certain railway companies have established supplementary funds, as stated by the hon. Member, but I am unaware of the attitude taken by particular companies. The position of the Government in relation to these funds was fully explained on the 2nd of March last, when a Motion by the hon. and gallant Member for St. Pancras South-West (Major Barnett) was under discussion.