§ 8. Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many university teachers who are United Kingdom citizens and served in the Armed Forces during the Second World War have had those years of war service excluded for pension superannuation purposes.
§ Mr. WaldegraveFull information is not available on all categories of university teachers' war service. However, I am informed by the universities superannuation scheme that some 1,400 applications have been received for the half-rate war service concession. Of those applications, some 400 had to be disallowed.
§ Mrs. WainwrightDoes the Minister agree that it is unfair, unjust and mean for any employer to refuse to allow years of war service to be included for superannuation purposes? Will he therefore ensure that his Department takes note of those mean employers and that these university teachers get their rights?
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe provision for half-rate pensionable service, which was extended to university teachers recently, was done on exactly the same terms as for the rest of the public sector. It would be difficult to make a special case for university teachers.
§ Mr. McQuarrieDoes my hon. Friend accept that university teachers not only took part in combat in the war, 199 but carried out duties in the Army Education Corps which maintained the education standards of serving members of the Armed Forces? Private employers would continue their pension rights. Does my hon. Friend accept that these university teachers are therefore similarly entitled to that privilege?
§ Mr. WaldegraveNo one is denying the war service of university teachers, nor that of civil servants or others to whom similar conditions apply.