§ 7. Dame Irene Wardasked the Secretary of State for War on what date his attention was drawn by the Officers' Pensions Society to the amended rule about the rate of pension on voluntary retirement which had been put into operation by the other Services; and why he did not make a similar amendment to his rules at the same time as the Admiralty and the Air Ministry.
§ Mr. AmeryThe first request was received in October, 1956.
385 My hon. Friend is mistaken in supposing that the other two Services made changes similar to the one which was announced on 26th February.
The old rule applied only to the Army, and the other Services were not concerned.
§ Dame Irene WardIn thanking the Under-Secretary of State for that additional piece of information, may I ask him whether he has reconsidered the decision last week to back-date this concession only to 1st January this year, in the light of what I said in my last supplementary question?
§ Mr. AmeryYes, Sir. Our general rule, as I explained last week, is that there can be no back-dating in changes of this kind. I recognise, however, because of the burden of work which the reorganisation of the Army imposed on the War Office last year, that there was some delay in dealing with the request from the Officers' Pensions Society. We do not wish the pensioners to suffer from this delay, and in the circumstances we have decided that the new rates will be back-dated to October, 1956, when the request was first made.
§ Dame Irene WardMay I thank my hon. Friend for that Answer? It will give great satisfaction to know that a little bit of humanity has come into the administration of the War Office.