One of the main objects of Clause i is to permit civil servants, local authority employees and teachers to count for superannuation pur- poses any period of compulsory military service which interrupts their civil duties. When we discussed this on Second Reading, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education, in response to appeals made to him by hon. Members on this side of the House, undertook to see whether it was possible to include teachers who, although they had not begun their service as teachers, had started their training to become teachers. I can tell the House that he has done his best to see whether something can be done to meet the point of view which hon. Members put forward then, as now, with such grace and felicity.

It has been quite impossible, for reasons which I will give in a few minutes, for my right hon. Friend to do anything within the four quarters of this Bill. The hon. Member for Southampton (Mr. Morley) suggested that it might be possible for his wishes to be implemented in some Measure which might be introduced next Session. It is possible that something of the sort may be done, but I am sorry to say that it is quite out of the question for it to be done today.

I would like to add that the Bill proposed for next Session cannot be a consolidating Bill, because a consolidating Bill cannot alter the law but only consolidate it. It will have to be another kind of Measure and we have it in mind to make certain provisions which, in our view, will improve the Superannuation Acts now on the Statute Book. I will not say more about it now. We shall have to consider it next Session if and when such a Bill is introduced, as it is my earnest hope that it will be. I can assure my hon. Friend that one of the last things my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education said to me was that he would like me to assure those who raised this matter in the House that he would be very happy to see what could be done along the lines requested, if that proves possible, in another amending Measure next Session.

My hon. Friend the Member for Central Cardiff (Mr. G. Thomas) said that teachers have been singled out for special penal treatment. That it not true. If we had a provision for teachers on the lines suggested by my hon. Friends the Members for Central Cardiff and Southampton, it would be singling them out. What Clause 1 does is to allow civil servants and others to count towards superannuation any period which interrupts their service in the Civil Service or in local government employment or as teachers.