HC Deb 22 November 1948 vol 458 cc997-8
Mr. George Jeger (Winchester)

I beg to move, in page 3, line 22, to leave out "the pension or."

I move this Amendment on behalf of my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Brixton (Lieut.-Colonel Lipton) and I also desire to refer to the two following Amendments on the Order Paper. The wording of Clause 5 as it stands seems to imply that pensions can be commuted and as this is contrary to the impression I previously received from my hon. Friend and from the War Office generally, I shall be glad if the Under-Secretary will accept this Amendment in order to make the position quite clear with regard to the commuting of part of a pension and not the pension as a whole.

Mr. M. Stewart

I am very much obliged to my hon. Friend for moving the first of this group of Amendments, and I am glad to say that we shall be very happy to accept it, and also the remaining Amendments. As it stands, the Clause provides against a nonexistent contingency, namely, the whole of the pension being commuted. The whole of the pension cannot be commuted. The Clause, when amended as now proposed, will not provide against that contingency, but since the contingency cannot occur nothing will be lost thereby, and the slightly misleading effect of the Clause as it now stands, suggesting that in certain circumstances the whole of the pension could be commuted, will be removed. I trust that the Committee will be willing to adopt the course which I have suggested and to accept the Amendments.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendments made: In page 3, line 23, leave out "thereof," and insert "of the pension."

In page 3, line 24, after "or," insert: that the pension or any part thereof"—[Mr. G. Jeger.]

Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 6 ordered to stand part of the Bill.