§ 51. Mr. McMasterasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider granting an increase in the pensions of retired school teachers.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Sir Edward Boyle)The last Pensions (Increase) Act came into effect in August, 1959: under this, public service pensions, including those of teachers, were increased at the maximum by 12 per cent. My right hon. and learned Friend has no intention at present to introduce another such Bill.
§ Mr. McMasterI thank my hon. Friend for that reply, but will he bear in mind that these percentage increases are totally inadequate in the case of the older retired teachers because of the very low basic pension on which they retired? Will my hon. Friend review the situation on grounds of equity and hardship?
§ Sir E. BoyleWe will, of course, look at that, but I would remind the House that successive Conservative Governments have introduced three pensions increase Measures since 1952, and that the 1959 Act was considerably more generous in several respects than its predecessors.