HC Deb 03 July 1923 vol 166 cc241-3
36. Sir J. BUTCHER

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether his attention has been called to the case of some 50 officials of the Irish Post Office who retired owing to the change of Government in Southern Ireland, and to whom the Civil Service Committee (Compensation) have refused to grant compensation in accordance with Article 10 of the Treaty; whether he is aware that these officials have been informed by this Committee that their supplementary pension or bonus is subject to quarterly revision, whereas, in fact, such revision is not in accordance with Article 10, and have been further informed that the appointed day, from which their seven additional years are to be reckoned, is not the 6th December, 1922, which is the regular and normal appointed day, but is the 1st April, 1922; and whether he will make representations to the Irish Free State Government for the purpose of putting this matter right?

The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Ormsby-Gore)

The officers to whom the hon. and learned Member refers are entitled under Article 10 of the Treaty to compensation on terms not less favourable than those accorded to them by the Act of 1920; and under the Act of 1920 they would have been entitled to an annual allowance calculated in like manner as the superannuation allowance which the officers would be qualified to receive under the Superannuation Acts save that their years of service would have been reckoned as if they had served up to the end of the transitional period. While I desire to make it clear that His Majesty's Government cannot consent in any way to act as a Court of Appeal from the decisions of the Committee referred to from the information before me I see no reason for supposing that the compensation awarded to the officers in question is not 10 accordance with Article 10 of the Treaty, nor does it seem to be open to doubt that the appointed day from which the transitional years are to be reckoned is in the case of officers who intimated their intention to retire to the then Provisional Government the 1st April, 1922, and not the 6th December, 1922.

Sir J. BUTCHER

How it is there are two appointed days — the normal appointed day in December, 1922, and this date, 1st April? Who fixed the second date?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE

Perhaps the hon. and learned Member will put that question down. For all those officers who have intimated their intention of retiring, the appointed day is the day on which financial responsibility was transferred from this House to the Provisional Government in Ireland.

Sir W. DAVISON

Are we to understand that the British signatories to the Treaty agreed to a quarterly revision of pensions on behalf of their own officers, although that revision was to be outside their control?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE

I must have notice of that question.

Sir J. BUTCHER

Will the hon. Gentleman answer the question on the Paper—whether this quarterly revision is in accordance with the Treaty or not?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE

I have not gone into that question. I cut down the answer as much as I could, and it is still a very long one, but if the hon. and learned Member will put down a question on that specific point I will try to give him an answer.