I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £50,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1955, for Pensions, Superannuation, Compensation (including Workmen's Compensation), and Additional and other Allowances and Gratuities under the Superannuation Acts, 1834 to 1954, and sundry other Statutes; Extra-Statutory Pensions, Allowances, and Gratuities awarded by the Minister for Finance; fees to Medical Referees and occasional fees to Doctors; Compensation and other Payments in respect of Personal Injuries; etc.
A further sum of £50,000 will be required to meet the expenditure from this Vote in the current financial year, in addition to the net amount already provided, £813,030. The additional expense arises on sub-heads A. and B. of the Vote which provide for the payment of superannuation allowances and additional allowances (lump sums). It is attributable to the fact that the incidence of retirement or death during the year among civil servants eligible for awards has proved greater than that for which allowance was originally made. On the other hand, savings due to deaths of pensioners are less than anticipated. Finally, the ante-dating of the Civil Service Arbitration Award to 1st November, 1952, required a revision of the pensions and lump sums paid to civil servants who retired between that date and 1st April, 1953.