§ 35. Mr. Marloweasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many retired Armed Forces officers and how many retired civil servants, respectively, will benefit from the arrangements proposed in Command Paper No. 9092; what proportion of the estimated £250,000 is attributable to each category; and what would be the additional net cost of making the same provision for all the 16,500, or thereabouts, officers pensioned under the 1919 code, having regard to the fact that in many instances increases under the Pensions Increases Acts would be reduced.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerAbout 8,250 retired officers and 3,000 civil servants will benefit. The estimate of £250,000 is a round figure made up of rather under £200,000 for officers and about £60,000 for civil servants. It is not possible to give completely accurate figures. The effect of the announcement of last Tuesday in Command Paper 9092 is to extend to all the 16,550 officers a concession already given to the 8,300 officers with pensions of up to £400 a year. The estimates of cost which have been given therefore represent the total cost of treating all the 16,550 officers in the same way.
§ Sir Edward Keelingasked the Secretary to the Treasury how much it would cost to raise to the rates payable to members of the Armed Forces and Civil Service who retire now, the pensions and retired pay of those who retired before such rates were introduced.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI should estimate the direct cost very approximately at £10 million. The cost for all public service pensioners would be about double this.