§ 7. Captain GARRO-JONES (for Mr. HORE-BELISHA)asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, seeing that masters and officers of the mercantile marine are debarred from benefits under the National Health Insurance and Unemployment Insurance Acts and only qualify for the old age pension at the age of 70, he will consider proposals for making this service a pensionable one in all cases where men are compulsorily retired owing to an age limit?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI sympathise with the object which the hon. Member has in view, but the establishment of a pension scheme for officers must, I think, be a matter for the shipping industry itself, as it would not be possible for the State to contribute to a pension scheme for any one industry unless it were prepared to contribute to similar schemes in all other industries.