THE SNP and Labour remain at odds over police pensions after an apparent olive branch from the Westminster government.
Angela Eagle, the transport minister, yesterday welcomed a "positive" proposal from Scottish Labour under which London would consider extra funding if the police pensions system was reformed.
But Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, said re
form was already under discussion and Ms Eagle's offer did not address the extra cost of pension commutation and the need for equal treatment by the Treasury for Scotland's police and firefighters.
The exchanges were the latest in a row in which the SNP has accused Westminster of short-changing police.
UK-wide changes to pensions for police, firefighters and rescue services enable retiring officers to convert a larger part of their pension into a lump-sum payment.
The SNP has accused the Treasury of refusing to provide the funds to pay for this, but Labour has called on the SNP to pay up, accusing it of failing to face its responsibilities in government.
Pauline McNeill, a Labour MSP, also called for payments to police pensions to be removed from operational budgets and ring-fenced.
She said: "I have asked the UK government to recognise that if we reform our pensions finance system, then they should be prepared to provide additional funding to help meet the cost of our obligations."
But Mr MacAskill said: "This is a clear-cut case of spending rising in England and Wales in a devolved area due to a decision taken by the UK government, and thus Scotland should receive its fair share of extra funding."
The full article contains 271 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
