Abstract: A vane type hydraulic pump for use in a power steering apparatus comprising a pump housing receiving therein a non-rotatable cam ring and first and second non-rotatable but axially slidable side plates. A pump rotor rotatable integrally with a drive shaft is received in an internal cam bore of the cam ring and, when rotated, delivers pressurized fluid to a discharge port connected to the power steering apparatus. The first and second side plates define at a contact portion therebetween a radial low pressure cavity, which is fluidically communicated with an axial low pressure hole receiving working fluid from a pump reservoir and bypassed fluid from a flow volume control valve. A branch member is provided on one of the side plates to smoothly branch the fluid flow flowing in the low pressure hole in the axial direction into the flow flowing along the low pressure cavity in the radial direction.