HC Deb 07 November 1961 vol 648 cc790-2
32 and 33. Sir T. Beamish

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give an assurance that officers who have resigned or retired from the Overseas Services and who accept pensionable employment in a Government Department after a period in temporary non-pensionable Government employment will not be required, in order to qualify for a pension, to repay any part of the lump sum of money given them to compensate for the interruption of their career on leaving the service of the overseas Government;

(2) in what instances Her Majesty's Government are bearing part or all of the burden of paying lump sum compensation to officers formerly employed in Colonies or Trust Territories who have had their permanent careers interrupted by the granting of independence to the countries concerned.

Mr. Barber

The lump sum compensation to which my hon. and gallant Friend is, I think, referring is payable under compensation schemes administered by the overseas Governments concerned and their terms may vary from territory to territory. In some circumstances, refunds of compensation may have to be made to the overseas Government if an officer subsequently obtains pensionable employment under the Crown. On the other hand, the Tanganyika compensation scheme —by way of example —does not require such officers to refund compensation provided there is a break between the last day of pensionable service under the territorial Government and the first day of pensionable service in a United Kingdom Government Department.

Although the administration of these compensation schemes and payment of compensation itself are the responsibility of the overseas Governments, Her Majesty's Government does in some cases contribute half the cost of compensation as a measure of financial aid. This applies only to compensation schemes introduced by territories after the conclusion of an agreement with the United Kingdom under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme.

Sir T. Beamish

Is my hon. Friend aware that the principle which seems to be partly established in that reply to those two Questions is quite impossible to square with what he said in reply to an Adjournment debate last week, when we were discussing the case of a constituent of mine who, after twelve years, has been asked to refund the lump sum of £5,000 which he was given after the end of his service in Burma in order to qualify for a pension in his new job at the Colonial Office? Will my hon. Friend please look carefully again at this matter?

Mr. Barber

I dealt with this matter at some length during the Adjournment debate. The two cases are not comparable. The compensation arrangements for ex-Indian civil servants to which my hon. and gallant Friend referred are the direct responsibility of Her Majesty's Government. Those of the former Colonial Territories, which are the subject of my hon. and gallant Friend's Question this afternoon, are the responsibility of the overseas Government concerned. The principle is that Her Majesty's Government should not both pay compensation to a displaced person and also provide him with permanent and pensionable employment.

Sir T. Beamish

Is it not a fact that in practice this money is being paid by the British taxpayers, whatever the theory may be, and does not the question therefore need looking at again?

Mr. Barber

As I tried to make clear in what was of necessity, I am afraid, a rather long original Answer, the responsibility for the administration of these schemes is that of the Government of the dependent territory, but, of course, the United Kingdom Government have a general concern for the welfare of the Overseas Civil Service. I hope that when my hon. and gallant Friend reads the reply which I first gave he will consider it to be satisfactory.

Mr. Glenvil Hall

The hon. Gentleman in his original reply, as I understood him, said that compensation is to be repaid if the employment is pensionable only. In an answer to a supplementary question by his hon. and gallant Friend he said it had to be permanent and pensionable. What does he mean?

Mr. Barber

As I indicated, the position varies somewhat from territory to territory, but the general position is that refunds are required where pensionable employment is obtained under the Crown without a break in service or where the officer concerned is a former member of the United Kingdom Civil Service who is reinstated in a pensionable capacity within twelve months. If the right hon. Gentleman wishes to have an answer about any specific scheme relating to any individual and will put down a Question to the Colonial Secretary, I am sure that my right hon. Friend will be happy to answer it.

Mr. Glenvil Hall

He knows very well that I have already put a number of Questions—

Mr. Speaker

Order. I think we ought to go on now.