HC Deb 18 February 1948 vol 447 cc242-4W
Mr. Parkin

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what steps are being taken to expedite the payment of provident fund balances of members of the Indian Services; and with what result.

Mr. A. Henderson

I have been asked to reply. There has unfortunately been considerable delay in the payment of these balances. This has been due partly to difficulties experienced in the Accounts Offices in India from various causes (including the effects of partition, and the simultaneous maturing of hundreds of accounts), and partly to the operation of the regulations for the control of remittance of capital sums out of India. The staff of the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in India includes an adviser on Service questions, who has been concerting measures with the accounting and financial authorities in India and Pakistan for the speeding up of remittances to this country, and has energetically pursued all individual cases referred to him.

I gladly acknowledge the co-operative attitude of the Indian authorities, who are making steady progress in surmounting the accounting difficulties, and are seeking means of simplifying the procedure for sanctioning capital remittances. As a result of these measures, there has been recently (except in Bengal, where efforts are being made to overcome special difficulties arising from the partition of the Province) a considerable improvement in the situation. In cases in which for one reason or another it has not been possible to remit the whole amount due to an officer, arrangements are being made for an immediate provisional pay- ment, leaving the balance to be adjusted later. If any case in which there has been exceptional delay is brought to the notice of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, he will be very glad to take it up.