§ 1. Mr. Dixonasked the Minister of State for Defence what is the value of an Army pension at present granted on retirement to an officer holding the rank of major.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Geoffrey Johnson Smith)The retired pay of a major who is retired compulsorily on the 1971 code ranges from £925 to £1,575 a year dependent on the total length of reckonable service, as shown in Cmnd. 4788.
§ Mr. DixonIs my hon. Friend aware that many of us are very pleased that the pension should be regulated upwards in line with the rise in the cost of living, but we do not understand the logic of the requirement that a man should have to wait until the age of 55 before receiving the increase?
§ Mr. Johnson SmithI think we all accept that for retirement pensions there must be a date, and we can argue about whether the age should be 60 for women and 65 for men. It is generally accepted that most people who retire from the Services retire at an age when it is possible for them to engage in another occupation and earn money. Consequently, it is thought to be not unjust that the age at which such people draw their pensions increases should be 55—and this is an innovation.