TNAG-0205-FCO40-241-Pensions-policy-1970 — Page 98

OPY

Our reference: Your reference:

ANNE 5

DEPARTMENT OF TECHNICAL CO-OPERATION Eland House, Stag Place, Victoria, LONDON S.W.1

Telegrams: Ministrant, Sowest, London

Telephone: VICtoria 2377, ext.

18th August, 1964.

When you brought & delegation from the Overseas Service Pensioners Association to see me on the 30th January wo discussed the anxiety and insecurity felt by pensioners and their fears of delay or default in the payment of their pensions by overseas Goverments. You again urged the view of the Association that the most effective safeguard and reassuranos would be the assumption of direct responsibility by H.M. Government in the U.K. for payment of these pensions.

I

As I told you at our meeting, while H.K. Government has consistently held to the view that oversees governments must continue to be responsible for the payment of the pensions of the officers they had employed, it has also undertaken to safeguard these payments through the conclusion of Fublic Officers' Agreements with the countries concerned. suggested that there was no difference between us on the proposition that the Pensioners Association was entitled to look to H.M. Government to safeguard by one means or another the payment of these pensions and that this in fact had been done.

Since our meeting, however, I have been giving further thought to the anxieties expressed to me by the Association, and I have considered with my colleagues whether there is any further statement which H.M.G. could make in order to give further reassurance to overseas pensioners.

H.H. Government recognise the concern of British overseas pensioners for the security of pensions payable by independent Governments. They beliero that the Public Officers' Agreements made with these Governments are and should continue to be the basic safeguard and that pensioners can have confidence in H.M.G.'s determination to make this effective, particularly in view of the fact that they stepped in immediately in the only two cases of default. I am, however, now authorised to tell you that if for any reason it should so happen in relation to the payment of a pension that a pensioner finds himself in financial difficulties, H.H. Government would feel obliged to take appropriate remedial action.

I hope that this statement will reassure the members of your Association. You are, of course, at liberty to have copies of this letter circulated to your members.

SIR JAMES ROBERTSON, GCUG., GCVO., KBE.

ROBERT CARR.