§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Lord President of the Council if he will give full details of the scheme for pensions for former Prime Ministers and Lord Chancellors; what pensions are now payable; what is the basis of contributions; whether any restrictions are placed upon the drawing of such pensions on any means test basis; and whether these will be considered under the general review of public service pensions; and if he will give similar details for the pensions of Members of Parliament.
§ Mr. WhitelawPensions to former Prime Ministers are payable under Section 3 of the Ministerial Salaries Consolidation Act, 1965. The annual amount of pension is £4,000 for any Prime Minister who ceased to hold that office after 31st March, 1965. Pensions to former Lord Chancellors are payable under the Lord Chancellor's Pension Act, 1832, as amended by Section 2(2) of the Judges' Remuneration Act, 1965. A Lord Chancellor qualifies for a pension of £6,250 a year plus a lump sum of £12,500.
Pensions to former Members of the House of Commons are payable under the Members' Contributory Pension Scheme set up under the Ministerial Salaries and Members' Pensions Act, 176W 1965. The rate of pension is £60 a year for each of the first 15 years' service, and £24 a year for each further year of service up to a maximum of 30 years. Reckonable service may include up to 10 years' service before 16th October, 1964, the date from which the scheme came into effect. Pensions for former Prime Ministers and Lord Chancellors are noncontributory. Members of Parliament contribute at the rate of £150 a year, a matching contribution being made from the Exchequer; the Exchequer makes a further contribution, fixed initially at £132,000 a year, to discharge the initial deficiency of the Members' Contributory Pensions Scheme.
No restrictions are based upon the drawing of any of the above pensions on the grounds of means, but:
No pension is payable to a former Prime Minister so long as he is in receipt of any salary payable out of the Consolidated Fund or the revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster, or any salary payable out of money provided by Parliament otherwise than in respect of his membership of the House of Commons; any pension payable to a former Lord Chancellor who holds any other office of profit under the Crown is restricted to an amount which, together with the salary and profits of the other office, does not exceed £6,250;A pension is not payable to a former Member of the House of Commons in respect of any period during which he is again a Member or is a candidate for election to the House.As to whether all or any of the above pensions will be included within the general review of public service pensions, I must ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the Pensions (Increase) Bill.