§ As respects any pension granted under the principal Act after the passing of this Act Subsection (1) of Section four of that Act (which specifies the maximum yearly amount of a pension under that Act), and Subsection (2) of that Section (which restricts the right of a person who is in receipt of any other pension in respect of employment in the service of the Crown to receive a pension under the principal Act or the full amount thereof), shall have effect with the substitution, for each reference therein to two thousand pounds, of a reference to two thousand three hundred pounds.—[Mr. Rees-Williams.]
§ Brought up, and read the First time.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsI beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
This new Clause covers the same point as that contained in the Amendment which has been ruled out of Order, or substantially the same point. The ceiling which is the subject of this new Clause has always been calculated on two-thirds of the salary which a Permanent Under-Secretary of State in this country would get after some 40 years in the Service. The original ceiling which that calculation gave was £1,300, and, at a later stage, when the salary of the Permanent Under-Secretary was increased to £3,000 the new ceiling on the two-thirds basis became £2,000. Today the salary of the Permanent Under-Secretary is £3,500, which gives a percentage on a two-thirds basis of £2,333. So the governor today is being placed on the same basis, if the Committee accept this proposal, as a Permanent Under-Secretary, except for £33, and an ambassador. They are all equated together. We suggest that this increase will meet all the cases which the right hon. Member for West Bristol (Mr. Stanley) had in mind when he raised the point on Second Reading. We are very grateful to him for raising it, and feel that it will now obviate any case of a governor, serving, perhaps three or four years towards the end of his period of service, and getting no greater result as to his pension than if he had not served at all.
§ Mr. StanleyI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the way in which he has met us on this point. I have no complaint to make that whereas my Amendment proposed to do away with the limit altogether this proposal will increase the limit in proportion to the increases which 817 have taken place in the pension. Quite clearly of the two the hon. Gentleman's method is the more logical, and I agree that it will cover most, if not all, the cases I had in mind. I am extremely grateful to the Government for accepting this suggestion.
§ Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.