§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Lord President of the Council if he will give the reasons for his refusal to take action to enable Members of Parliament to retire on pension at 60 years of age voluntarily without loss of pension rights, on a similar basis to civil servants and former Prime Ministers.
§ Mr. Edward ShortThe recommendation of the Lawrence Committee in 1964. endorsed by the Review Body on Top Salaries in 1971, was that the normal retiring age for Members of Parliament should be 65. The Government accepted this recommendation. It would not be appropriate to consider isolated aspects of the pension scheme when the Review Body on Top Salaries is currently considering Members' pension arrangements.