§ Mr. GLEDHILLasked the President of the Board of Education if he will consider legislation to turn the teachers' superannuation scheme into a genuine insurance whereby, if a man dies shortly after retirement, his widow may receive the pension for which he subscribed?
§ Sir DONALD MACLEANI do not at present contemplate any legislation for the amendment of the School Teachers' (Superannuation) Act in the sense suggested by my hon. Friend. The Act provides not only for a pension, but also for the payment of a lump sum, on retirement, or, if a teacher dies while still in contributory service, for the payment of a death gratuity to his representatives. Where a teacher dies shortly after retirement, if the lump sum and the pension accruing to the date of death are less than a death gratuity would have been, the balance is payable to the representatives of the pensioner. It would not be possible to provide for additional benefits to be payable, unless the contributions paid by teachers and their employers were correspondingly increased.