Page 30 - Group Insurance and Retirement Benefit IC 83 E- Book

4. Turning to the local government service, the position is less satisfactory. A standard

contributory scheme has been in operation, with relatively small changes, for over a
quarter of a century, yet local-Act schemes (i.e. schemes established under private Acts

obtained by individual local authorities before the introduction of the general scheme)
still persist. Their continued survival is due in the main to their distinguished history as

pioneers in the field of public superannuation, and to the fact that they are, without any
doubt, in general considerably in advance of the standard scheme. The Civil Service

abandoned the ' pension only ' scheme in favor of the ' pension plus lump sum ' to a large

degree in 1909 and completely in 1935; yet we find the standard.
4 The Development of Public Superannuation Schemes local government scheme written

in 1922 and confirmed in 1937 on a 'pension only ' basis. Local-Act authorities, however,

in the main adopted ' pension plus lump sum ' schemes at varying dates after about 1920 ;
and it is thought to have been the common experience that the bulk of contributors on the

old basis opted to change over to the new—-the main exceptions were, as might be
expected, spinsters with no dependent relatives. Whilst it does not necessarily follow that

what the average man wants is good for him, nevertheless in this case his sense of what
he considered desirable was in close accord with what was considered desirable for him.

5. In 1948 a very large volume of staff was transferred from local authorities to the

National Health Service. The scheme for the latter has been framed in many respects on
the current Civil Service pattern, i.e. including a pension and a lump sum benefit. It also

includes the revolutionary innovation of a compulsory widow's benefit (as opposed to the
normal provision that, subject to proof of health, a contributor may at the time of

retirement surrender a part of his pension to secure a reversionary annuity for his spouse)
and an adequate death benefit where no widow is left. The combined benefits are

probably the most satisfactory yet provided under any public superannuation scheme, and

local authorities have not been slow to realize this. In 1948 two local Acts were passed
modifying, in its application to the authorities concerned, the Local Government

Superannuation Act, 1937 (hereafter referred to as ' the 1937 Act') by the substitution of

benefits as under the National Health Service scheme; and it is understood that some ten
similar Bills are included in the 1949-1950 Session of Parliament. Naturally the