63. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury have ruled that unmarried Civil servants who volunteered for military service at the beginning of the War, and who have been disabled in the War, are not entitled to have subsequent War bonuses to salary taken into account for purposes of Civil Service pension, whereas other Civil servants of similar rank and status who were conscripted are entitled to have these bonuses taken into account, and are therefore awarded a higher Civil Service pension; and, if so, whether he will take steps to remove this difference of treatment?
§ Mr. BALDWINThere is no power to take War bonus into account in calculating the pensions of Civil servants who were not in receipt of it at the time of their retirement. This applies equally to unmarried Civil servants who volunteered for military service at the beginning of the War, and to unmarried Civil servants who were conscripted at a later date. All Civil servants in the assessment of whose pension War bonus was not taken into account are eligible for increases under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1920, provided that they satisfy the conditions laid down in this Act.
Mr. SCOTTDoes that mean that a Civil servant who was conscripted gets a larger Civil pension than the Civil servant who volunteered, and who was under exactly the same conditions as the other?
§ Mr. BALDWINI do not see that it does, in the answer to the question. I am not quite clear what is the hon. Member's point in the question.
Mr. SCOTTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that under the regulation referred to a single Civil servant who volunteered at the beginning of the War gets a smaller pension than the Civil servant who did not volunteeer, who waited until conscripted and in the interval had the benefit of a bonus while his colleague was serving?
§ Mr. BALDWINI will look into the matter.