§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will set out in the Official Report a table of salaries, years of service and pension entitlements and percentages of basic salaries paid for such pension rights in respect of the police.
§ Mr. WhitelawThe current rates of police pay were promulgated by Home Office circular No. 99/1982 issued on 3 November 1982, a copy of which is available in the Library. The pension entitlement of a police officer under the police pensions scheme depends upon the circumstances of his leaving the police service. It is normally based on his average pensionable pay during his last year of service and his length of pensionable service, up to a 243W maximum of 30 years. The main pension scheme benefits for an officer who joined the police service since 1972 are as follows:
Police Pension Entitlements Circumstances of leaving the police service Type of pension payable Annual amount of pension (in references to pensionable service, fractions of a year count pro rata) Officer retires with at least 25 years' pensionable service. Ordinary pension (if officer retires before age 50 with less than 30 years' pensionable service pension will not be paid until age 50). Subject to a maximum of forty-sixtieths: One-sixtieth of the officer's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service up to 20 years plus two-sixtieths of that pay for each year of pensionable service over 20 years. Officer is compulsorily retired on age grounds with at least five but less than 25 years' pensionable service. Short service pension. Calculated in the same way as an ordinary pension. Officer retires on ill-health grounds either with at least five years' pensionable service or as a result of an injury received on duty. Ill-health pension. Less than five years' pensionable service: One-sixtieth of the officer's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service. Five to 10 years' pensionable service: Two-sixtieths of the officer's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service. Over 10 but not more than 13 years' pensionable service: Twenty-sixtieths of the officer's average pensionable pay. Over 13 years' pensionable service: Subject to a maximum of forty-sixtieths or the amount of the ordinary or short service pension the officer could have earned by compulsory retirement age: Seven-sixtieths of the officer's average pensionable pay plus one-sixtieth of that pay for each year of pensionable service up to 20 years and two-sixtieths of that pay for each year of pensionable service over 20 years. Officer leaves with at least five years' pensionable service and does not qualify for an ordinary, short service or ill-health pension. Deferred pension payable at age 60 or sooner if he becomes permanently disabled. One-forty-fifth of the officer's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service up to an overall maximum of forty-sixtieths. Notes:
(1) A police widow's pension is normally half her husband's pension. If he dies while serving it is normally half the ill-health pension he would have received had he retired on ill-health grounds on the day he died.
(2) In certain circumstances there are benefits for children and dependent relatives.
(3) There are also benefits in respect of injury or death on duty, the cost of which is met in full by the employer. Since 1 September 1982, police men have contributed 11 per cent. and police women 8 per cent. of their pensionable pay towards the cost of pension benefits.