CONFIDENTIAL
OVERSEAS PENSIONS
Note of a meeting at the ODM
26th September 1969
Present
Mr. L.C.J. Martin (in the Chair)
ODM
Mr. A.R. Thomas
Mr. M.L. Cahill
Mr. J.L. West
Mr. W.T. Birrell
FCO
Mr. W.I. Combs
Mr. E.G. Le Tocq
Mr. A.J. Fairclough
Mr. A.T. Baillie
Mr. J.D. Blakeway
Mr. H.H. Stewart
روح
The meeting was held to discuss the ODM's provisional intentions on a take-over of overseas pensions, as set out in their note of the 23rd September.
Commuted pensions
2. Mr. Combs confirmed that the FCO were in general agreement
He enquired about with the proposals in para. 2 of the paper. the ODM's precise intentions in regard to commutation payments, as it seemed to him that a breach of the no-retrospection
The ODM representatives confirmed principle might be involved. that there would be no retrospection in regard to the commutation As for the commutation loans, there payments made to pensioners.
was nothing retrospective about the ODM's proposals, since so far as the overseas countries were concerned the loans were future Preliminary pension burdens arising when repayments fell due. investigations by the ODM suggested that Britain's share of commuted pensions would probably be large enough to extinguish many of these loans altogether.
Post-independence service
3.
The FCO representatives asked whether it would be feasible to confine British liability to pensions in respect of pre- independence service. They pointed out that if a country defaulted on post-independence pensions, Britain would be bound to pay the latter. Might it not be better to seek to clear out of the way potential problems connected with post-independence pensions at the same time as we took over pre-independence one s? 4. The ODM representatives took note of this view but reserved their position, emphasising that no obligation could be said to fall on the British Government in respect of post-independence pensions.
/Finance
CONFIDENTIAL
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