§ 48. Mr. LINFIELDasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of Civil Service pensioners who retired between the 4th August, 1914, and thy 11th November, 1920; and the additional cost that would be involved in assimilating their financial position to that of those pensioned since the latter date?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. William Graham)The number of retirements is estimated at 20,000. As these pensioners retired at different dates, and with different rates of pay and pensionable emoluments, it would be impossible, without an examination of each case separately, to calculate the cost of assimilating their financial position to that of men pensioned at a later date, even if one fixed date were taken for the retirement of the latter. I fear I can give no estimate of cost, but it is clear that, owing to the drop in bonus after 1920, many of the pensioners referred to would lose if their pensions were, under the hon. Member's proposal, assimilated to the amounts now payable after similar service, and that, if such cases were excluded, the cost of the proposal would be very large. The proposal would, moreover, involve similar concessions to other classes of pensioners at a cost of some millions of pounds.