TNAG-0697-FCO40-847-Pension-scheme-for-governors-1978 — Page 159

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D L Hawkins Esq

Superannuation Division Civil Service Department Whitehall

London SW1A 2AH

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

21 November 1977

GOVERNORS PENSION SCHEME

1. I am writing to take up a point arising out of your letter $52/01, of September, in which you were good enough to give us guidance on the superannuation position of Sir Peter Ramsbotham.

2. In the final paragraph of your letter you commented on the question of promotion in absentia and its implications for th salary to be taken in calculating the aggregated award under the PCSPS of an officer who had had DS service before governor's service. This point had been raised earlier in Willby's letter of 29 June to you (paragraph 15(a)). You expressed doubt why ther promotion in absentia would be. relevant in the case, of Sir Peter. You were of course quite right: Sir Peter Ramsbotham was already a DS Grade 1 officer before his appointment as Governor of Bermuda. But the question of promotion'in absentia is a much wider one, which could have very important implications for aggregated awards in other cases.

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3. As explained in Willby's letter, we believe that promotion in absentia of a DS officer who is on governor's service repre- sents the official DS judgment of the level the officer would have reached in the DS had he remained in service with us. As such, it seems to us to fall within the definition of the salary to be taken in calculating the aggregated award which is th "salary he would have enjoyed from time to time if he remain d in the Home Civil Service or the Diplomatic Service having been granted any increments and all increases appropriate to his grade" (rules 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17). The expression "appropriate to his grade", quoted above seems to us to cover the circumstances of promotion in absentia. Indeed, to interpret the provision ng xcluding it would make promotion in absentia a meaningless nel and would be particularly unfair in the case of an officer who had had a long period of governor's service, after his DS servic. The interpretation I have suggested would seem fully in line with the purpose of the provision, which must presumably be to probct the pension position of the officer and to ensure that on final retirement he is no worse off as regards superannuation than if he had continued in DS service.

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