POLICE SUPERANNUATION (SCOTLAND) BILL. (Hansard, 27 June 1910)

§ LORD REAY
The Amendment to this clause is of a verbal nature—namely,to substitute the word "are" for the word "is."

§ LORD REAY
The Amendment to this clause is in subsection (2) (a), to insert after the word "the" [the scale set forth in Part I of the] the word "first."

THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWN
I wish to ask the noble Lord a question with regard to this clause. I do not think it is within the competence of this House to alter it, but I want to point out what appears to me to be rather an injustice to a policeman who is called out to serve in the Army Reserve or Naval Reserve. The clause says that where a constable has been called into actual service as a member of any Royal Naval Reserve force or has been called out for permanent service as a member of the Army Reserve, his period of service under that proclamation may, "if the police authority think fit," be reckoned in the computation of approved service. Looking at it entirely from the policeman's point of view, it is surely rather a hard thing that if he is called out to serve his country that service need not necessarily count towards his pension. I dare say that those who have prepared this Bill may take the view that they do not wish to put compulsion on local authorities to expend the rates which those authorities have to raise. There is a good deal in that, but on a great many much more important occasions the Government pay no attention to that doctrine—such, for instance, as improvement schemes and large matters of that sort—and having swallowed so many camels I do not see why they should strain at this particular gnat. Looking at it from the policeman's point of view, it is very hard that, whereas if he remained serving in the police force he would be counting his time towards pension, when he is called out to serve his country he may not be allowed to count that time in his service. There is this objection to it, that he is serving the Government, and surely the Government when a policeman is serving them ought themselves to be responsible for any payment which he is earning in the way of pension whilst 1020 serving in that capacity. This House cannot alter this clause, but it seems to me that it is a great hardship on the policeman.

§ LORD REAY
I may, perhaps, point out to the noble Earl that the object of this Bill is simply to assimilate the position in Scotland to that in England. If he will look at Section 4 of the English Police Act of 1906 he will find that the words "if the police authority think fit" also appear there. That is one of the reasons. But I am given to understand that there is also another reason. There maybe cases—I do not think they will be many—in which a man may be earning a pension while serving as a Reservist, and it is in order to meet those cases, if they were to occur, that this facility is given. I need hardly say that I cannot conceive that any police authority in Scotland would make use of this provision for the purpose of withholding a pension when one of their officers is called out on national service to perform a public duty. I hope this explanation will satisfy the noble Earl.

THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWN
I am not acquainted with the Army Regulations for pensions, but if it is the case, as the noble Lord says, that when a man is serving as a Reservist he is earning a pension in that capacity, that entirely meets my point.

§ LORD REAY
I propose to omit from subsection (3) the words "in the case of a chief constable on first appointment shall be," and to insert the words in my Amendment. The object is exactly the same, but the new words are inserted to make it clear.