PENSIONS: CIVIL SERVICE, MUNICIPAL, ETC.
The pension scheme for British civil servants is laid down in the Superannuation Acts 1834 to 1919. (See SUPERANNUATION.) The whole cost of the pensions is borne by the state. Pensions are awarded by the Treasury and are payable only to those state paid permanent civil servants who are admitted into the civil service with a certificate from the Civil Service Commissioners or who hold their appointments directly from the Crown. The latter is a very small class. Broadly speaking the permanent members of the administrative, technical, clerical and manipula tive grades are pensionable and the members of the industrial grades are non-pensionable, although a certain number of indus trials, especially in the dockyards, are pensionable.
Under the Acts in force prior to 1909, a civil servant retiring at or over the age of 6o, and after not less than io years' service, was eligible for a pension calculated at s3y of his salary (mean ing salary at the date of retirement or, in certain cases, average salary for the last 3 years) for each completed year of his service, with a maximum of On retirement for permanent ill-health he was eligible for a pension similarly calculated if he had served for io years or more, and for a short service gratuity of one month's salary for each year of his service if he had served for less than 10 years. If retired owing to the abolition of his office or a reorganization of staff effecting greater efficiency and econ omy he could be granted an annual compensation allowance, which, in practice, was calculated at A- of his salary for each completed year of his service, whether more or less than 1 o years. This pension scheme applied to women as well as to men.
Following the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Superannuation in the Civil Service, the benefits were altered by the Superannuation Act, 1909, for all future male entrants and for those existing pensionable males who wished to come under the new scheme and were allowed to do so on proof of good health. The old scheme continued to apply to females. Under the new scheme pension is calculated in eightieths, instead of sixtieths, with a maximum of 4 ; but in addition to the reduced pension and the short service gratuity there is, after two years' service, a lump sum allowance calculated at A- of salary for each completed year of service, with a maximum of H. And, if the
civil servant dies in the service after serving for 5 years or more bis legal personal representatives may be granted a death gratuity of one year's salary or, if greater, _ of a year's salary for each completed year of service : if he dies after retirement on pension his legal personal representatives may be granted a sum equal to the excess, if any, of a year's salary over the total amount received in pension and lump sum. For male civil servants as a whole the new benefits were estimated to be equal in value to the old. The Act of 1909 also altered the compensation allowance, but only for future entrants whether male or female, to whatever could be granted (whether pension or gratuity) if the had been for ill-health. If a person in receipt of pension or com pensation allowance is re-employed in government service the pension or allowance is suspended or abated so that the pay and pension or allowance together do not exceed the pay at the date of retirement. It is customary to grant to women, who, under departmental regulations, resign on marriage a gratuity of one month's pay for each completed year of pensionable service, with a maximum of 12 months' pay, provided they have rendered not less than 6 years' service, including non-pensionable service. By the Pensions (Increase) Acts 1920 and 1924, small pensions and compensation allowances granted before Aug. 4, 1914, or, with certain limitations, between that date and Aug. 20, 1920, may in certain circumstances be increased by from 3o% to 70%, pro vided that the increase does not raise the total income of the pensioner (or the joint income of husband and wife) above £200 (if married) or L1 5o (if unmarried). Those Acts apply also to police and certain municipal pensioners. There are special scales of pension under special Acts for Diplomatic Officers, Colonial Governors and certain officials in the Supreme Court. The total expenditure on these pensions, etc., in the financial year 1926-7 was approximately £6,335,078, of which L3,055,197 was in re spect of the Post Office. The Digest of Pension Law and Regu lations for the Civil Service, published by H.M. Stationery Office, gives the law and the regulations arranged under the headings of their subject matter.