§ LORD GRIDLEYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance is being given to pensioners of Her Majesty's Oversea Civil Service living in countries like South Africa, which has not devalued, and whose pensions are now reduced owing to devaluation by some 14.3 per cent.]
§ LORD BOWLESNone, my Lords. Her Majesty's Government have not felt able to make good the loss in oversea currency value of pensions paid to their own pensioners resident abroad in countries which have not devalued, and they could not treat Her Majesty's Oversea Civil Service pensioners whose pensions are paid by the oversea countries by whom they were employed more generously.
§ LORD GRIDLEYMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that Answer, may I ask him why it is that Her Majesty's Government are treating pensioners of Her Majesty's Oversea Civil Service differently from their own employees? Is it not a fact that Embassy staff are receiving compensation in countries overseas which have not devalued, and did not the Prime Minister say in his broadcast in respect of devaluation that the pound would not be devalued in our pockets?
§ LORD BOWLESMy Lords, the answer to the last part of the noble 514 Lord's supplementary question is that the Prime Minister did say that the suffering would be as little as possible but that obviously there would be some all round because of devaluation. As regards the first part of the noble Lord's supplementary question, he knows as well as I do—probably better, because he is associated with these ladies and gentlemen—that they were never really legally, constitutionally, employed by Her Majesty's Government at all. In view of that fact, I think his supplementary question does not arise.
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, could the noble Lord tell me which are the "countries like South Africa"?
§ LORD BOWLESMy Lords, I think my noble friend had better ask the noble Lord opposite that question.