§ 44. Mr. A. Robertsasked the Paymaster-General if he will give an estimate of the cost of awarding pensions to those retired miners who are not in receipt of a National Coal Board pension.
§ Sir I. HorobinI understand that the cost, on the basis of the union's proposals, has been estimated at about £2½ million.
§ Mr. RobertsDoes not the Minister realise that there are no difficulties at all preventing the National Coal Board now paying pensions to these miners who retired after 1946 and before the pension scheme became operative, and will he see that the National Coal Board takes measures to see that these miners receive their pension? Does he not realise that while the grass is growing the horse is starving?
§ Sir I. HorobinThe hon. Gentleman says that there are no difficulties, but one difficulty that occurs to one is where to find £2½ million when one is in the red and going further into the red every week.