HC Deb 23 June 1948 vol 452 cc1328-9
2. Mr. Geoffrey Cooper

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons the expatriation payments to Colonial officials are pensionable; if he is aware that this policy is causing dissatisfaction in Colonial territories; and whether it will now be reconsidered.

Mr. Creech Jones

It is normal in the Civil Service for pensions to be based on the full permanent emoluments of the office. In some Colonies these emoluments are divided into basic salary, payable to all officers, and expatriation pay, payable in addition to basic salary to officers recruited from outside. If this expatriation pay were not pensionable, the pensions payable to the officers concerned would be substantially less than those earned by their opposite numbers in Colonies where the system of expatriation pay does not obtain. Indeed, the pensions would often be less than those earned by service in the same posts before the war. I am aware that there has been some local criticism in some of the territories, but it is not widespread or well-informed. I have no intention of reconsidering the position.

Mr. Cooper

Does not the Colonial Secretary appreciate that in Malaya, Sierra Leone and Mauritius strong objections have been raised locally? Will he take those objections into consideration and see if a case has in fact been made out for altering the policy?

Mr. Creech Jones

The criticism made is, of course, uninformed.