§ 35. Dame Irene Wardasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government Departments have not yet made the appropriate payments under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1956; and the dates on which the appropriate increases will be paid to the beneficiaries.
§ Mr. H. BrookeAbout 220,000 pensions paid by Government Departments are eligible for increases under the Act. Of these, 185,000 have been paid in full, and nearly 20,000 more were the subject of advance payments in May. It is estimated that another 14,000 will be settled within the next fortnight. A residue of about 1,000 exceptionally difficult cases, spread over all pension-paying Departments, may take some time longer, but I can assure my hon. Friend that every effort is being made to settle them as rapidly as possible.
§ Dame Irene WardIn view of the figures which my right hon. Friend has given, may I ask whether it is not true that the notice circulated by the General Post Office, of which I have seen a copy, that the pensions increases cannot be paid until December does not accurately reflect the situation, and that the G.P.O. will pay—except possibly in the case of some of the thousand cases, which I appreciate—quite quickly and before Christmas?
§ Mr. BrookeIf my hon. Friend has a Question relating exclusively to the Post Office, perhaps she would be good enough to put it to the Postmaster-General. Speaking generally, I think that the Departments have done a remarkably good job of work in taking on this tremendous extra load in addition to all their ordinary pensions work.