§ Mr. FOREMANasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state in approximate figures the expenditure which would be entailed by increasing the pensions of retired Civil servants on corresponding lines to the war bonus addition to the salaries and allowances of Civil servants?
§ Mr. BALDWINIt is impracticable to estimate the cost closely without undertaking an analysis of the pensions at present payable. The war bonus addition for Civil servants consists of a fixed sum plus a percentage of salary. Assuming that the fixed sum is disregarded and that a percentage addition of 20 or 25 per cent. only is made to pensions, the annual cost on the basis of the existing pension charge would be approximately £1,000,000. If the fixed sum payable to Civil servants were also taken into account for purposes of pension the increased charge would, of course, be very much heavier.