§ 31. Mr. Dodds-Parkerasked the Undersecretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what differentiations have been exercised against European pensioners of the Ceylon Government; and what success he has achieved in securing the same cost of living allowance for Europeans as for Ceylonese civil servants.
§ Mr. J. FosterI understand that pensioners of the Ceylon Government receive in addition to their pensions a cost of living allowance which varies with the cost of living in the country in which they reside. In the case of pensioners resident in Ceylon the addition is calculated on the basis of the official cost of living index in Ceylon; in the case of pensioners resident in the United Kingdom the basis is an index prepared by the London and Cambridge Economic Centre. In addition a special living allowance has been granted to pensioners resident in Ceylon in view of the abnormal rise in the cost158W of living in Ceylon. As pensioners residing in India, Pakistan and Malaya are paid the cost of living allowance at Ceylon rates, it was decided to pay them this additional allowance too. The Government of Ceylon have stated that this allowance was agreed to by them in the special circumstances of the conditions in Ceylon and other countries in South-East Asia which are not applicable to persons resident in the United Kingdom.