§ Mr. R. Beaumontasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that that part of a retired dockyardman's pension which is based upon the bonus cannot be increased if any increase in the bonus is made, while it is liable to be reduced if any reduction takes place in the bonus; and whether he will state the reason for this apparent anomaly, which acts to the detriment of the pensioner?
Mr. LindsayThe position is not quite as stated by my hon. Friend. Under the Treasury Minute of 20th March, 1922, that portion of the pension which is in respect of industrial bonus is liable to variation at the end of any quarter in which there has been a change in the rate of bonus. Such variation can occur upwards as well as downwards, subject, however, in the former case to an overriding maximum yielded by the amount of bonus received at date of retirement. This limitation is necessary because, with the exception to which I refer below, 373W there is no power under the Superannuation Acts to pension a Civil servant on an amount in excess of his emoluments at such date. Special provision was, however, made in Section 12 of the Superannuation Act, 1935, whereby the pensions of those officers in receipt of industrial bonus who retired during the emergency period between 1st October, 1931, and 3oth June, 1935, were increased to amounts appropriate to the pre-emergency rate of bonus.