PERSONAL INJURIES (CIVILIANS) SCHEME, 1941 (Revised rates of Cost of Living Allowance)

2.40 p.m.

The Chief Secretary (Mr W. A. C. Goode): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have the consent of His Excellency the Governor under Standing Order 33 (1) (a) to move the motion standing in my name, namely,

That the rates of Cost of Living Allowance payable on current pensions and on such future pensions as may be awarded under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme, 1941, shall, by resolution of this Assembly, be revised in accordance with the rates set out in the Schedule annexed hereto as from the 1st January, 1955, or, in the cases of pensions, awarded subsequent to the 1st January, 1955, from the date of the award of the pension. SCHEDULE Proposed revised rates of Cost of Living Allowance to be paid on pensions awarded under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme, 1941. Amount Proposed Amount Proposed of Cost of Living of Cost of Living Pension Allowance Pension Allowance $ c. $ c. $ c. $ c. Not exceeding 5 00 16 00 15 00 26 00 6 00 17 00 16 00 27 00 7 00 18 00 17 00 28 00 8 00 19 00 18 00 29 00 9 00 20 00 19 00 30 00 10 00 21 00 20 00 31 00 11 00 22 00 21 00 31 80 12 00 23 00 22 00 32 60 13 00 24 00 23 00 33 40 14 00 25 00 24 00 34 20

Column: 459 & 460

Schedule - continued Amount Proposed Amount Proposed of Cost of Living of Cost of Living Pension Allowance Pension Allowance $ c. $ c. $ c. $ c. 25 00 35 00 76 00 65 40 26 00 35 80 77 00 65 80 27 00 36 60 78 00 66 20 28 00 37 40 79 00 66 60 29 00 38 20 80 00 67 00 30 00 39 00 81 00 67 40 31 00 39 80 82 00 67 80 32 00 40 60 83 00 68 20 33 00 41 40 84 00 68 60 34 00 42 20 85 00 69 00 35 00 43 00 86 00 69 40 36 00 43 80 87 00 69 80 37 00 44 60 88 00 70 20 38 00 45 40 89 00 70 60 39 00 46 20 90 00 71 00 40 00 47 00 91 00 71 40 41 00 47 80 92 00 71 80 42 00 48 60 93 00 72 20 43 00 49 40 94 00 72 60 44 00 50 20 95 00 73 00 45 00 51 00 96 00 73 40 46 00 51 80 97 00 73 80 47 00 52 60 98 00 74 20 48 00 53 40 99 00 74 60 49 00 54 20 100 00 75 00 50 00 55 00 101 00 75 40 51 00 55 40 102 00 75 80 52 00 55 80 103 00 76 20 53 00 56 20 104 00 76 60 54 00 56 60 105 00 77 00 55 00 57 00 106 00 77 40 56 00 57 40 107 00 77 80 57 00 57 80 108 00 78 20 58 00 58 20 109 00 78 60 59 00 58 60 110 00 79 00 60 00 59 00 111 00 79 40 61 00 59 40 112 00 79 80 62 00 59 80 113 00 80 20 63 00 60 20 114 00 80 60 64 00 60 60 115 00 81 00 65 00 61 00 116 00 81 40 66 00 61 40 117 00 81 80 67 00 61 80 118 00 82 20 68 00 62 20 119 00 82 60 69 00 62 60 120 00 83 00 70 00 63 00 121 00 83 40 71 00 63 40 122 00 83 80 75 00 65 00 126 00 85 40

The purpose of this motion, Sir, is to seek the approval of this Assembly as is required under paragraph 9 (a) of the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme, 1941, to new and increased rates of Cost of Living Allowance to be paid on pensions paid under that Scheme. The new rates proposed are set out in detail in the Schedule to my motion on the Order Paper.

The Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme was drawn up in 1941 to provide for granting pensions, allowances and gratuities to members of the Civil Defence organisations who suffered injury during the war or to the dependants of those of them who were killed or died and that Scheme was also applied to the armed volunteer forces.

Now, the basis of calculating pensions and allowances under that Scheme was the normal monthly earnings of the person concerned at the time of injury or death. With the marked decrease in the value of money after the war, it was immediately necessary to supplement these very small pensions and allowances by a Cost of Living Allowance. So Cost of Living Allowances on these pensions were introduced and approved by a resolution of the Legislative Council in 1949, the rates coming into force with effect from the 1st of January, 1948. At that time, those rates of Cost of Living Allowances on these pensions were in line with the Cost of Living Allowances paid on the ordinary Government service pensions. Since then, however, there have been revised and increased Cost of Living Allowances and other allowances on the ordinary Government pensions and this motion that I now move seeks to get approval for new rates of Cost of Living Allowances for pensions under the Personal Injuries Scheme which would bring those allowances again into line with the allowances paid on ordinary Government service pensions in so far as that is possible. I say in so far as that is possible because there are certain fundamental differences between pensions under this Personal Injuries Scheme and ordinary Government pensions. For instance, one, whereas an ordinary Government service pension depends upon the length of service and the salary of the officer on his retirement and there is no change in the amount of pension according to whether the officer has dependants, pensions under the Personal Injuries Scheme are provided for wives and dependant children, so that, therefore, while Cost of Living Allowances on service pensions take account of family circumstances, Cost of Living Allowance on these pensions do not, because the pension itself takes that into account.

The general effect of the increases now proposed is to increase the total amounts payable under the Scheme by about 30 per cent. The exact amount varies in each case according to the circumstances of the pension. There has been, I am afraid, a great deal of delay in working out these revised rates and in solving a number of administrative problems connected with them and, for this reason, we have felt it justified to bring the new rates into force with effect from the 1st of January. As my friend the Hon. the Financial Secretary had just stated, the money to pay what is required during the current year will be included in an application which he will make immediately following this motion.

Sir, I beg to move,

Mr Chew Swee Kee: I second the motion.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That the rates of Cost of Living Allowance payable on current pensions and on such future pensions as may be awarded under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme, 1941, shall, by resolution of this Assembly, be revised in accordance with the rates set out in the Schedule annexed hereto as from the 1st January, 1955, or, in the cases of pensions awarded subsequent to the 1st January, 1955, from the date of the award of the pension.

Column: 465 & 466

SCHEDULE Proposed revised rates of Cost of Living Allowance to be paid on pensions awarded under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme, 1941. Amount Proposed Amount Proposed of Cost of Living of Cost of Living Pension Allowance Pension Allowance $ c. $ c. $ c. $ c. Not exceeding 5 00 16 00 52 00 55 80 6 00 17 00 53 00 56 20 7 00 18 00 54 00 56 60 8 00 19 00 55 00 57 00 9 00 20 00 56 00 57 40 10 00 21 00 57 00 57 80 11 00 22 00 58 00 58 20 12 00 23 00 59 00 58 60 13 00 24 00 60 00 59 00 14 00 25 00 61 00 59 40 25 00 35 00 72 00 63 80 26 00 35 80 73 00 64 20 27 00 36 60 74 00 64 60 28 00 37 40 75 00 65 00 29 00 38 20 76 00 65 40 30 00 39 00 77 00 65 80 31 00 39 80 78 00 66 20 32 00 40 60 79 00 66 60 33 00 41 40 80 00 67 00 34 00 42 20 81 00 67 40 35 00 43 00 82 00 67 80 36 00 43 80 83 00 68 20 37 00 44 60 84 00 68 60 38 00 45 40 85 00 69 00 39 00 46 20 86 00 69 40 40 00 47 00 87 00 69 80 41 00 47 80 88 00 70 20 42 00 48 60 89 00 70 60 43 00 49 40 90 00 71 00 44 00 50 20 91 00 71 40 45 00 51 00 92 00 71 80 46 00 51 80 93 00 72 20

Column: 467 & 468

Schedule - continued

47 00 52 60 94 00 72 60 48 00 53 40 95 00 73 00 49 00 54 20 96 00 73 40 50 00 55 00 97 00 73 80 51 00 55 40 98 00 74 20 52 00 57 00 103 00 76 60 53 00 57 40 104 00 77 00 48 00 53 40 99 00 75 00 49 00 54 20 100 00 75 40 50 00 55 00 101 00 75 80 51 00 56 20 102 00 76 20 52 00 57 00 103 00 76 60 53 00 57 40 104 00 77 00 54 00 57 80 105 00 77 40 55 00 58 20 106 00 77 80 56 00 58 60 107 00 78 20 57 00 59 00 108 00 78 60 58 00 59 40 109 00 79 00 59 00 59 80 110 00 79 40 60 00 60 20 111 00 79 80 61 00 60 60 112 00 80 20 62 00 61 00 113 00 80 60 63 00 61 40 114 00 81 00 64 00 61 80 115 00 81 40 65 00 62 20 116 00 81 80 66 00 62 60 117 00 82 20 67 00 63 00 118 00 82 60 68 00 63 40 119 00 83 00 69 00 63 80 120 00 83 40 70 00 64 20 121 00 83 80 71 00 64 60 122 00 84 20 75 00 65 00 126 00 85 40