§ 9. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Minister of Defence if he has completed his examination of the possibility of introducing a contributory scheme for officers' widows' pensions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SandysThis problem is at present being studied by the Service Departments on the basis of the Pay Code introduced last year.
§ Mr. JohnsonDoes my right hon. Friend expect that the examination of this problem will soon be completed? Is he aware that his Department wrote on 17th December to the Officers' Pension Society saying that the matter was still being examined?
§ Mr. SandysIt takes quite a number of months to examine a problem of this kind. The Pay Code was introduced only last year. I can assure my hon. Friend that this matter is being considered most seriously.
§ Mr. WiggDoes the right hon Gentleman's previous reply denote that he is either a fathead or a bighead, or a combination of both?
§ 10. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Minister of Defence if he will introduce regulations to provide that widows of officers who married after retirement shall be eligible for widows' pensions.
§ Mr. SandysI am afraid not.
§ Mr. JohnsonMay I ask my right hon. Friend if he is aware that I inadvertently worded my Question wrongly, and that such Regulations are already in existence? Is it not a fact that, provided that the officer was serving before 30th August, 1907, and had served for twenty years and he was married not later than three years afterwards, his widow was able to get such a pension? Could he not, perhaps, bring those Regulations a little more up to date?
§ Mr. SandysPerhaps my hon. Friend would put that question down.