§ Mr. Channonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence if he will give an estimate of the cost of raising the retired pay of all officers of the three Services who retired before 1st September, 1950, to the new rates of 1951; whether he will give a percentage estimate of the increase which has taken place in the cost of living since these pensions were granted; and whether he will consider granting some increase in order to alleviate the hardship felt by many of these retired pensioners at the present time.
§ Mr. BirchThe cost of raising the retired pay of all officers of the three Services, including officers of the Indian Army, who retired before 1st September, 1950, to the rates applicable to officers who retired after that date would, on the latest estimates, be about £2,100,000 in the first year.
It is not possible to make the estimate for which my hon. Friend asks in the second part of his Question, since the officers in question retired at various dates prior to 1st September, 1950, when the cost-of-living index stood at widely differing levels.
Three pensions increase schemes have been introduced in recent years (the latest in 1952) with a view to alleviating hardship.