§ Mr. Harold Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is being done to eliminate the disparities in the different West African pension schemes; and how far it is the intention of the British Government to standardise these pension rates.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe basic pensions paid to former officers of the three West African territories with which I am concerned are paid under Ordinances which follow a model pattern and there are no significant differences.
The three Ordinances governing widows' and orphans' are also based on a common model but scales of benefits have been varied in accordance with advice received after separate actuarial reviews of the individual schemes and it is Her Majesty's Government's policy that benefits should be adjusted from time to time on the basis of such advice.
Increases for pensions to meet the cost of living have been enacted by separate Ordinances in each of the three territories and while it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to advocate that such increases should be at least as generous as those granted to its own pensioners by the United Kingdom Government the final decision must rest with the local Government.