§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the pension rights of those teachers, about to retire, who entered the profession over 23 years of age, since their university and professional studies were extended in time owing to war service, 1939–45.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThe Education (Scotland) (War Service Superannuation) Act 1939 provided that, in the case of students who, before undertaking war service, were training or had been accepted for training as teachers, the period by which completion of their training was delayed by war service should count as pensionable service. The Act does not apply to the war service of teachers who embarked, on a teaching career after the war, but as announced in the House on 28th November by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science, the Government now think it should be possible to work out in the Working Party on Teachers' Superannuation an agreement on the basis that war service in the Armed Forces by a person who entered the profession immediately after the war and who has given continuous service until the minimum retiring age of 60 should be reckonable as to half for pension purposes.
As many of the teachers who trained and taught before undertaking war service paid contributions in respect of that service, some basis will have to be found for assessing the contributions for postwar entrants if unacceptable anomalies are not to be created. The Government hope that the working party will be able to find a formula which will cover the majority of teachers affected.