§ Mr. C. DUNCANasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that, although established Civil servants have received war bonuses totalling 19s. per week, the temporary clerks have only received bonus to the amount of 14s. per week; can he state the reason for this differentiation in view of the fact that the bonuses have been granted to meet the increased cost of living, which is imposed on all alike; whether it is proposed to grant to the temporary clerks the bonus of 5s. awarded to established servants in July last; and whether such award will be retrospective to that date?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe war bonus granted to permanent Civil servants has been extended to temporary employés whose rates of remuneration were fixed before the War, but it is not applicable in the case of temporary employés whose remuneration has been fixed during the War on the basis of war conditions. The question whether any increase should be given to such employés must depend on the circumstances of each case.
Colonel THORNEasked the Secretary to the Treasury what is the practice of the Treasury in regard to counting service for pension purposes in the case of men who entered the service in an unestablished capacity and were afterwards, upon the recommendation of their respective heads of Departments, promoted to the establishment?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe general rule is that unpensionable service remains unpensionable when followed by pensionable service, but to this rule exceptions have been 2515W made by virtue of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Superannuation Act, 1887. I am afraid that there is no simple formula which would enable me to summarise the variety of exceptions which have been made in different Departments to meet varying conditions of service.