§ Captain BOWYERasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that service in K Company, Royal Engineers, by postal servants, is counted by the Post Office for purposes of pay and increment; that that service does not count when computing civil pensions; that the Select Committee on Post Office Servants (Holt Committee) recommended that the whole period of service in K Company, where it is followed by established service in the-Post Office, should be treated as Post Office service, and not military service, for the purpose of computing civil pensions, and that the pensions of the officers already retired be corrected accordingly and the arrears made good to them; whether he is now willing to accept this recommendation; and, if not, whether he will submit the matter to arbitration?
§ Mr. BALDWINI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply of the 17th February last to the right hon. Member for Woolwich. I am not prepared to submit the matter to arbitration.
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§ Mr. GANGEasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether service in K Company of the Royal Engineers is spent on Post Office work and is on this ground allowed to count for purposes of pay and increment should the men be subsequently appointed as Post Office telegraphists; whether on mobilisation all military service ceases to count for these purposes; and whether, as all other men employed on Post Office work are safeguarded against loss of increment, he will take steps to prevent these men being penalised?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe answer to the first part of the question is, Yes. On mobilisation the men in question cease to do Post Office work. The last part of the question does not arise.