§ Mr. JELLETTasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the pensions for members of the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police Forces will be calculated on the actual pay the member was in receipt of at the time of retirement in accordance with the recommendation of the Desborough Committee; what is the cause of delay in paying arrears of the increased pensions due to members of those forces who retired since 1st April, 1919, for which purpose Parliament voted the necessary funds; and will he see that the Desborough recommendations are carried out with regard to pay and pensions for the Irish forces in the same way as they have been for the British forces,
1923W
§ Mr. HENRYThe new pension scale recommended in Paragraph 78 of Part I of the Report of the Desborough Committee will be made applicable to the Irish police forces. The Commendations of the Committee that pensions should be calculated on the basis of the rate of pay drawn at the date of retirement is now under consideration, and the decision of His Majesty's Government on this recommendation will apply equally to the British and Irish police forces. The revision, where necessary, of the pensions of members of the Irish forces who retired since the 1st April, 1919, is necessarily dependent upon the terms of and must await the issue of the necessary Statutory Orders. My hon. Friend may however rest assured that recommendations of the Desborough Committee as adapted to the case of the Irish forces by the recent Committee of Inquiry into the pay, etc., of the Irish police, and so far as accepted by His Majesty's Government will be applied to the Irish forces, and will be made effective with the least possible delay.