§ 64. Mr. Cooperasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will consider a scheme whereby any established members of the Civil Service may resign from their non-productive work to take up productive work in industry and at the same time preserve their pension rights and thus prevent the present system, whereby pension rights are lost, from acting as a deterrent.
§ Mr. Glenvil HallNo, Sir.
§ Mr. CooperDoes not my right hon. Friend realise that some members of the Civil Service who are keen to get into productive industry feel that it is not very consistent when Ministers exhort members of the public to go from less productive work to more productive work, if the same encouragement is not given by Ministers in their Departments for civil servants to make such transfers? Can he give the matter further consideration?
§ Mr. Glenvil HallIt has been considered, and where a civil servant goes temporarily into another occupation of the kind mentioned by my hon. Friend obviously leave is given, and pension rights are not given up. Indefinite leave is quite another matter.
§ Mr. CooperIs it not a fundamental principle of Socialist policy that pension rights should be transferable, so that people may be encouraged to go into those jobs where they can best serve the community?