§ 55. Mr. Wiggasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence the number of officers in receipt of retired pay whose retired pay rates were stabilised at 9½ per cent. below the basic retired pay rates promulgated by Army Order 324, 1919, and the annual amount it would cost to raise their retired pay rates to those awarded to officers who retired after 19th December, 1945.
§ Mr. BirchThe number of officers now in receipt of retired pay referred to in the Question is about 17,100. The great majority of these officers have received additions to the stabilised rate of award, either under the 1944 and 1947 Pensions Increase Warrants or by reason of re-assessment of their awards. To raise the retired pay rates of these officers to those of the 1945 code would cost about £370,000 per annum.
§ 56 and 60. Mr. Wiggasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence (1) how many of the widows of Regular officers who are in receipt of pensions are over 40 years of age and under 40 years of age, respectively;
(2) the number of Regular officers' widows in receipt of pensions, giving the figures for the widows of officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Indian Army separately; and the number in receipt of the maximum and minimum pension.
§ 57 and 58. Mr. Swinglerasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence (1) the number of widows of Regular officers whose deaths were due to service and who are in receipt of pensions;
(2) what is the annual cost of providing pensions for the widows of Regular officers of the three Services, showing attributable and non-attributable pensions separately.
§ Mr. BirchThe details are given below, but I would point out that I can give an answer only in respect of those pensions which are paid by the Service Departments. This excludes the majority of "attributable" pensions which are paid by the Ministry of Pensions. In respect of these 175W "attributable" pensions no figures are available which distinguish between the widows of Regular officers and those of other officers.
Following are the details:
The total number of widows of Regular officers at present in receipt of pensions from the Service Departments is 5,831. Of these 5,525 are recipients of "ordinary" (Service) pensions, and 306 of "attributable" pensions. These figures respectively represent the numbers in receipt of the minimum and maximum rates. Details for the individual Services are as follows:
—— Ordinary Pensions Attributable Pensions Army 2,700 100 Royal Navy 2,600 122 Royal Air Force 225 84 In addition the following pensions are being paid to windows of Regular officers of the Indian Forces:
—— Ordinary Pensions Attributable Pensions Indian Army 1,303 395 Former Royal Indian Navy 28 7 The total annual cost of providing those widows' pensions for which the Service Departments are responsible is £536,000, of which £487,000 goes to "ordinary" pensions, and £49,000 to "attributable" pensions.
Of the widows of Regular officers of the three Services who are in receipt of pensions from Service funds 5,775 are over 40 years of age and 56 are under 40.
§ 59. Mr. Swinglerasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence how many officers are in receipt of retired pay at the latest date for which figures are available; and what is the total annual sum involved.
§ Mr. BirchThe total number of officers of the three Services in receipt of retired pay from Service votes is about 30,300. The annual sum involved is about £11,200,000. These figures do not include awards made by the Ministry of Pensions in which there is an element of retired pay.
§ Mr. Wiggasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence the amount it would cost annually to raise 176W the minimum pension of the widows aged 40 years or over of Regular officers to £210 per annum, for the widow of a lieutenant-colonel or equivalent rank, to £180 per annum, for the widow of a major or equivalent rank, to £165, for a widow of a captain or equivalent rank, and to £150 per annum for the widow of a subaltern or equivalent rank, the figures for attributable and non-attributable pensions being shown separately.
§ Mr. BirchThe rates quoted by the hon. Member are in each case the "attributable" pension rates for widows of 40 years or over as these rates stood before 1st May last, from which date they were increased by £18 a year throughout. The cost of bringing non-attributable (i.e., ordinary) pensions up to the rates quoted for the ranks mentioned in the hon. Member's Question would be approximately £370,000 annually.