POLICE PENSIONS REGULATIONS, 1959 (Hansard, 16 December 1959)

EARL BATHURST

My Lords, I beg to move that these Regulations be approved. They are consequential on the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1959, and deal only with pensions of police widows and the allowances of children of deceased police officers. Pensions of retired police officers themselves are dealt with directly under the Act of 1959. This is the usual way of applying pensions increase measures to the Police Service, and is adopted because of the technical drafting difficulties 435 that would arise if Pensions (Increase) Acts attempted to deal with the police widows.

The Regulations are complicated, but their practical effect is comparatively straightforward. There are two classes of police widows, and hence the Regulations have two objects. First, they ensure that the widows whose pension awards are related in amount to the deceased officer's pay will receive increases equivalent to, and on the same basis as, those provided by the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1959. This is achieved by saying, in effect, that the awards will be treated as though they had in fact been specified in the Schedule to the Act itself. Secondly, they provide corresponding increases for the flat rate awards payable to widows and children. The majority of police widows at present are in this class. This increase is achieved more simply by substituting new rates for the existing ones. All these Regulations have been subject to consultation with the Police Council for England and Wales, as required by the Police Pensions Act, 1948. They have also, I am glad to say, been welcomed by a deputation from the National Association of Retired Police Officers, who called at the Home Office recently.

The Regulations as drafted have effect from August 1 last, which was the date from which the Pension (Increase) Act, 1959, took effect. It is our hope that it will be possible to bring these Regulations into force before Christmas, so that the payment shall begin as soon as possible after January 1. These Regulations operate the general provisions of the pension increases that were decided in the last Parliament, and as such I beg to commend them to your Lordships.