PENSIONS (VALIDATION OF PAYMENTS) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.13 p.m.

Inche Ahmad Bin Ibrahim: May I interrupt at this juncture to signify that I have the recommendation of His Excellency the Yang di-Pertuan Negara to proceed with this Bill?

Mr Speaker: Thank you.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance (Mr Low Por Tuck): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill seeks to fill a deficiency in the provisions of the Pensions Ordinance. This relates to pensions, gratuities and allowances awarded to officers who have had service with the Board of Commissioners of Currency as well as service with the Government.

The Pensions Ordinance provides for the payment of pensions, gratuities and allowances in respect of Government service and other services which have been accepted as service counting for a pension. Service with the Board of Commissioners of Currency is neither Government service, nor any other service counting for a pension. Therefore, strictly speaking, no pension, gratuity or allowance should have been paid in respect of this service. However, in an administrative action taken as long ago as July 1931, persons with service both with the Government and the Board of Commissioners of Currency have been paid pensions, gratuities and annual allowances as if service with the Board was reckonable for a pension.

A number of persons who were awarded a pension or annual allowance in respect of their service with the Board have since died, but there are at present a small number of such persons to whom a pension or annual allowance continues to be paid. It is therefore necessary to validate the payment of these pensions, gratuities and allowances, if this small number of pensioners are to continue to be paid their pension or annual allowance.

There is an amendment to the Bill and I will move this amendment at the Committee stage. Notice of this amendment has already been given.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Low Por Tuck].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

4.15 p.m.

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 2 -

Mr Low Por Tuck: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

In page 1, line 7, after "paid", to insert "or hereafter to be paid".

The reason is that it is the intention that the proposed legislation should cover the continued payment of pensions and annual allowances to pensioners who have had service with the Board of Commissioners of Currency, it is also to remove the apparent inconsistency between the long title and clause 2 of the Bill.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported with an amendment; read a Third time and passed.