HC Deb 28 March 1956 vol 550 cc2140-2

Scope of Scheme

1. Retirement annuities provided wholly or partly from Commission sources and payable to former employees of the British Transport Commission or its predecessors, other than those who are in receipt of or entitled to a National Insurance retirement pension or sickness, industrial injury or disablement benefits, will be eligible for supplementation under this scheme.

Annuity eligible for supplementation

2. The annuity eligible for supplementation will be the basic retirement annuity, excluding any supplementation under the Commission's existing scheme of supplementation dated April, 1955.

Scale of supplements

3. Subject to paragraphs 5 and 6, annuitants will receive supplements according to whichever of the following scales is applicable:

Annuitants of the L.M.S. Superannuation Fund
Year in which employment terminated Supplement payable
The smaller of:
£ or one-third of the basic annuity
1948 and earlier 28 per annum
1949 21 per annum
1950 14 per annum
1951 7 per annum
1952 and later None

Other annuitants
Year in which employment terminated Supplement payable
The smaller of:
£ or one-third - of the basic annuity
1951 and earlier 28 per annum
1952 21 per annum
1953 14 per annum
1954 7 per annum
1955 and later None

Calculation of amount of supplement

4. In calculating the amount of supplement, no account will be taken of:

  1. (a) sources of income other than the annuity to be supplemented;
  2. (b) whether the annuitant is married or single;
  3. (c) lump sum retirement benefits.

5. No supplement will be payable in respect of annuities of £250 per annum or more and supplementation of any smaller annuity will be not more than is sufficient to increase the annuity with supplement to £250 per annum.

Existing Scheme of supplementation

6. The Commission's existing scheme of supplementation dated April, 1955, will continue in force, but any supplements payable under this scheme to beneficiaries of the existing scheme will be reduced by the amount of supplement payable under the existing scheme and only the excess (if any) provided by this scheme will be paid.

Date of commencement

7. The scheme will come into effect on, and the supplements will be payable with effect from 1st April, 1956.

26. Mr. G. H. R. Rogers

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he can now report the result of his discussions with the British Transport Commission on the question of further financial assistance to railway superannuitants and pensioners; and what consultations he has had with the appropriate trade unions.

Mr. Watkinson

As to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the replies I have given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Tyne-mouth (Dame Irene Ward) and the hon. Members for Accrington (Mr. H. Hynd) and Eton and Slough (Mr. Fenner Brockway).

The Answer to the second part of the Question is, "None." I have, however, had many representations from organisations formed by the superannuitants themselves, and my predecessor received a deputation from one of them.

Mr. Rogers

While expressing our appreciation of the Minister's sympathetic activity in this matter, may I point out to the right hon. Gentleman that there are some unsatisfactory features about the new scheme, and in view of the necessity for taking the unions along with the Commission on this sort of matter, will he not advise the Commission to discuss these difficulties with the appropriate trade unions whose members the super-annuitants are?

Mr. Watkinson

To be fair to the British Transport Commission, I think that it did see T.S.S.A. about this, but I agree that the notice was short. I must take part of the blame for that because it has been a long and difficult process to work this out.