§ Sir R. GOWERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the desire of industrial civil servants that the Government should carry out at the earliest possible opportunity the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service with regard to a contributory pension scheme, he can now make any statement with regard to his intentions in this matter?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAThe Royal Commission on the Civil Service were in favour of the replacement of the existing non-contributory system of superannuation by three contributory pension schemes, A, B and C, carrying different rates of contributions and benefits, of which Scheme C was applicable to industrial and analogous classes. The Commission, however, recognised that the time was unfavourable for suggesting the acceptance by the State of additional liabilities, and that it might be necessary on financial grounds to postpone the introduction of Scheme C, even if the other two schemes were adopted. They suggested, further, in paragraph 778 of their report, that the question as affecting industrial staffs should be the subject of a separate investigation.
It has been agreed between the official and staff sides of a joint committee of the National Whitley Council for the Administrative and Legal Departments of the Civil Service, not to recommend contributory schemes for the classes covered by the Commission's Schemes A and B; and in present circumstances it would not appear that any useful purpose would be served by initiating the separate investigation referred to by the Commission.