§ 72. Mr. R. Harrisasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education why a retired teacher cannot earn more by way of part-time earnings after retirement than would bring his pension up to what he earned in his last year as a teacher; and if the upper limit of earnings can be raised commensurately with increases granted to the teaching profession subsequent to the teacher's retirement.
§ Sir E. BoyleThe Teachers Superannuation Act, 1925, requires that a teacher's pension for any quarter shall be reduced by the amount, if any, by which his salary and his pension for the quarter taken together exceed the quarterly rate of his pensionable salary when he retired. Similar provisions apply to other public service superannuation schemes and the suggestion made by my hon. Friend was considered and rejected, so far as civil servants are concerned, by the Royal Commission on the Civil Service. The Government do not consider that it would be possible or just to give teachers exceptional treatment.
§ Mr. G. Thomasasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education whether he is aware of the hardship being imposed upon retired teachers who return to part-time teaching service by the operation of the rule that the pension for any quarter is limited to the amount required to bring the amount earned, together with the pension, up to the quarterly rate of salary at date of retirement; whether he is aware that the recent increases in the salaries of teachers penalise such pensioners, who are now worse off than they were before the increases; and if he will introduce amending legislation.
§ Sir E. BoyleI would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Heston202W and Isleworth (Mr. R. Harris). No teacher is now worse off than before the recent salary changes.