§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for India, considering that the Public Services Commission, appointed before the War to inquire into the pensions of the uncovenanted Civil Services of India, decided that the pensions then in force were inadequate, if he will explain why, when these pensions were raised, the date 23rd July, 1913, was fixed on as 1959W the date prior to which no retired member was to benefit, thus depriving the men for the inquiry into whose case the Commission was appointed of all benefit from that inquiry?
§ Mr. FISHERIn a letter of 23rd July, 1913, addressed to certain memorialists, the Government of India promised that, should the pension rules be modified as a result of their memorials, or in consequence of any recommendations of the Public Services Commission, the position of officers who had retired from the service by then would no doubt be taken into consideration when the conditions of eligibility for the altered pensions came to be fixed, due weight being given to the arguments adduced by the memorialists in favour of their being allowed to participate in the better pensionary terms, even if the alterations were effected after their retirement. In 1919, when furnishing the Secretary of State with their views on the recommendations of the Public Services Commission, the Government of India duly considered the date from which effect should be given to the new pension rules. They recommended that all officers in the Service on the date of the letter in question should be allowed to participate, and after careful consideration I sanctioned their proposal. This was a large and very unusual measure of retrospection, and I am not prepared to extend the concession to officers who retired before that date.