§ 32. Mr. Maurice Edelmanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that, under the Police Pension Regulation, certain classes of police widows receive only 26s. a week, 4s. a week less than the amount that widows in similar circumstances would receive were they beneficiaries under the National Insurance Scheme; and what action he is taking in order to end this anomaly.
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeThis point is covered by the Police Pensions Regulations, 1951, which were approved by Affirmative Resolution yesterday.
§ 33. Mr. Edelmanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that certain classes of police widows have to make monthly applications for their pensions; and whether he will substitute a system of quarterly application for the present arrangements.
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeI am aware that it has been the practice of some police authorities to require police pensioners to furnish monthly certificates of identity and it is, of course, essential that police authorities should take proper precautions to safeguard public moneys paid out by way of pension. It rests with individual police authorities to lay down such requirements as they think necessary and while I hope that these requirements will not be such as to inconvenience pensioners unduly, I should not feel justified in prescribing any standard procedure.
§ Mr. EdelmanIs it not an example of excessive bureaucracy that pensioners who have been receiving a pension over a number of years should have to establish their identity month after month? Is it not something which is obviously absurd and should be corrected?
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeIn the Metropolitan area life certificates are furnished yearly and in the meantime the receiver is satisfied by the receipt signature of the pensioners. Quarterly certificates are required in the case of someone other than the pensioner himself. Widows' pensions are paid weekly by the order book method. If the hon. Member has any improvement to suggest I shall be very glad to consider it, but that seems to me to be a reasonable method.
§ Mr. EdelmanIs it not the case that widows in particular have to establish identity month after month? Surely in the case of a police force with its power of inquiry the police ought to work up some system by which these widows will not have to establish identity month after month but quarterly, which surely should be adequate?
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeIf the hon. Member will give me particulars of the police authority in whose area he suggests that takes place, I will look into it and try and discover the reason. He will appreciate that I am the police authority only for the Metropolitan area and that is why I referred to the practice in that area.