§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Defence how it is proposed to deal with Service and widows pensions, correspondingly to the increases for civil pensioners contained in the Pensions (Increase) Bill.
§ Sir E. Erringtonasked the Minister of Defence how it is proposed to deal with Service pensions correspondingly to the increases for civil pensioners contained in the Pensions (Increase) Bill.
§ Sir W. MoncktonThe existing Prerogative Instruments will be amended so as to remove the limitations on the amount of pension and the amount of income qualifying for increase. In addition, the discrimination against pensioners without dependants will be removed. All officers and other ranks retired under the 1945 Codes and the earlier Codes who are 60 years of age (or, if younger, are unable to work) will thus get the full benefits of the existing pensions increase measures that apply to them.
There will also be new increases for which officers and other ranks retired under all the Codes up to and including the 1950 Code will qualify, provided that they are 60 years of age (or, if younger, are unable to work).
These new increases will in general be 10 per cent. of the basic pension, subject to a maximum of £100. But parallel with the arrangements proposed in the Pensions (Increase) Bill for short service pensioners and for pensioners more recently retired from the higher grades, there will be some modification for officers and other ranks who retired voluntarily with less than 20 years' service, who will get 6 per cent. increase with a £60 maximum, and also for officers of the rank of colonel and above retiring under the 1950 Code. The rates of widows pensions set out in Command Paper 8741 of January, 1953, will be increased by 5 per cent.