Page 44 - Group Insurance and Retirement Benefit IC 83 E- Book

(c) Poor Law, i.e. employees of the late boards of guardians, etc. (i) The Poor Law

Officers' Superannuation Act, 1864, was non-contributory and unfunded. The award of a
pension, not exceeding two-thirds of the final 14 The Development of Public

Superannuation Schemes salary, on grounds of full age (60) or ill-health, and subject to
20 years' whole time poor law service, was solely at the discretion of the guardians,

subject to the consent of the Poor Law Board.
(ii) The Poor Law Officers' Superannuation Act, 1896, which superseded the preceding,

was also unfunded, but required a contribution, normally at the rate of 2%, from every

employee, whole-time or part-time, permanent or temporary. Even this contribution was
soon considered excessive in some cases, for an Amendment Act of 1897 empowered '

female nurses ', for so long as they continued to serve in that capacity, to contract out of

any rights and liabilities under the 1896 Act.
The pensions, which were a direct charge on the rate fund of the final employer, were on

the standard 1/60 basis. All poor-law service, other than as a contracted-out nurse,
aggregated subject to repayment of any contributions which had been returned. Such a

return, without interest, was made only on the determination of an appointment, and not
on voluntary resignation.

The 1896 Act was repealed by the Local Government Act, 1929, when the poor-law

functions were transferred to local authorities ; and the general local government schemes
now apply, subject to certain modifications in respect of the transferred poor-law officers.

(d) Mental Hospitals, etc.
(i) The Lunatic Asylums Act, 1853, and subsequently the Lunacy Act, 1890, provided for

discretionary non-contributory pensions on the lines of the Poor Law Officers'
Superannuation Act, 1864.

(ii) The Asylums Officers' Superannuation Act, 1909, was generally similar to the Poor

Law Officers' Superannuation Act, 1896, except that only established employees
participated, at a normal contribution of 3 %, and there was no power for female nurses to

contract out. Established employees were divided into two classes, the first class (having

care or charge of patients in the usual course of their duties) qualified for the maximum
pension after 34 years' service only (see Appendix II, item (c)); the second class qualified

for pension on the standard 1/60 basis. For both classes, all established asylums service