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the equivalent of £480. The general view was, however, that in the exceptional circumstances of the police service and the time which had passed since their present scales were fixed, it was desirable to give effect to the main increases proposed by the Oaksey Committee.

The Cabinet then discussed whether the particular recommendation relating to widows' pensions should be accepted. At present the pension payable to the widow of a police officer varied between £30 and £50 according to his rank, and the Oaksey Committee had recommended pensions from £50 to £70. They had gone on to say that some further increases would probably be required later, and that these should be met in part by increased contributions from police officers. At present police officers made a small contribution to their various pension schemes, and they had pressed for the grant of an increase in widows' pensions without any corresponding increase in their contributions. The general policy, applied to Civil Servants and to indus- trial workers in respect of schemes supplementary to National Insurance pensions, was that about half of the cost should be recovered from contributions. On this basis, a constable Would contribute about 6d a week. In view of the undesirability of making exceptions to the general acceptance of the recommendations of the Oaksey Committee, the general feeling among Ministers was that the Committee's recommendations should be accepted; but an endeavour should be made to show that police widows 甲 pensions were in part covered by contri- butions, and the general policy in future should be to insist on contributory schemes.

Finally the Cabinet considered whether the proposed increases in the pay of Chief Constables should be deferred and introduced gradually from the date taken for the introduction of the approved increases for the higher ranks of the Civil Service. There was general agreement that the balance of advantage lay in favour of granting the increases without delay. These increases in Chief Constables १ pay had been delayed because of the issue of the White Paper on Personal Incomes; and the understanding at that time had been that the delay would not be longer than a few months. Here again it was felt that it would be inexpedient to reject one of the recommendations of the Committee and thus risk re- opening discussion of them all.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND said that one or two police authorities in Scotland might be opposed to the new scales for Chief Constables and that the application of the new scales in these cases would be a matter for negotiation.

Cabinet Office, S. W. 1.

5TH MAY, 1949.

The Cabinet

(1)

(2)

Agreed that effect should be given to the

recommendations in the first report of the Oaksey Committee, as from 1st July next.

Recorded their view that future pension

schemes, supplementing those provided under the National Insurance Scheme, should in all cases be on a contributory basis.

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