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Wednesday, July 4, 1973
PROCEDURES FOR EX-GRATIA INCREASES TO PENSIONERS
Existing procedures of granting ex-gratia increases to government
pensioners are being examined with a view to speeding them up, the Colonial
Secretary, the Hon. Sir Hugh Norman-Walker, told the Legislative Council today.
The importance of increases to pensioners, he told council, was fully
appreciated but these inevitably took time because of the complexity of the
calculations and the large number of pensioners and serving officers.
He said the longstanding practice was to review pensions only after
a general salary award to the public service had been made, and to arrange for
the payment of any approved ex-gratia increases to pensioners after action on
behalf of serving officers had been completed.
At present there are about 100,000 serving officers and 10,000 pensioners.
Sir Hugh was replying to the Hon. G.M. Sayer who had asked what steps
could be taken to expedite the procedure for payment of an ex-gratia increase
to government pensioners after a salary revision for serving officers.
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