OPCS (Interviewers) (Hansard, 4 April 1989)

§ Mr. Brooke

[holding answer 23 March 1989]: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys interviewers, in common with other staff engaged on a fee-paid basis, are not eligible for membership of the principal Civil Service pension scheme. Their level of fees, out of which they are

Reduction( + )/Increase( - ) in income tax compared with 1978–79 indexed regime (£ million)
Range of total income in 1989–90 (£)	Number of units paying tax in 1989–90 (million)	1979–80	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90
Under 5,000	2.1	170	-30	80	170	200	240	350	350
5,000 to 10,000	6.5	930	210	510	810	1,050	1,500	2,160	2,160
10,000 to 15,000	5.2	1,400	750	1,100	1,390	1,770	2,480	3,400	3,410
15,000 to 20,000	3.3	1,230	750	1,060	1,280	1,620	2,290	3,100	3,100
20,000 to 30,000	2.8	1,730	1,170	1,580	1,800	2,260	3,140	4,220	4,220
30,000 to 50,000	1.1	1,790	1,290	1,630	1,760	2,010	2,490	3,500	3,500
50,000 to 70,000	0.2	1,000	820	970	1,000	1,040	1,120	1,790	1,790
Over 70,000	0.1	2,400	2,230	2,690	2,720	2,730	2,780	4,720	4,720
Total	21.3	10,660	7,190	9,620	10,920	12,690	16,040	23,250	23,260

Average gain( + )/loss ( - ) per tax unit¹ (£ per annum)
Range of total income in 1989–90 (£)	1979–80	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90
Under 5,000	60	-10	30	60	70	80	120	120
5,000 to 10,000	140	30	80	120	160	220	320	320
10,000 to 15,000	270	140	210	270	340	480	660	660
15,000 to 20,000	380	230	330	390	500	700	950	950
20,000 to 30,000	610	410	560	640	800	1,110	1,490	1,490
30,000 to 50,000	1,580	1,130	1,440	1,560	1,780	2,190	3,090	3,090
50,000 to 70,000	4,550	3,730	4,410	4,570	4,740	5,090	8,130	8,130
Over 70,000	16,670	15,510	18,680	18,870	18,990	19,280	32,790	32,790
Total	470	320	430	490	560	710	1,030	1,030
¹ Average gains and losses are calculated by reference to the estimated number who would be liable to pay tax under the indexed 1978–79 regime; this number is some 1,200,000 greater than the numbers paying tax in 1989–90, some 900,000 in the income range below £5,000 and 300,000 in the range £5,000 to £10,000.

Note: All information is in terms of tax units—that is, married couples are counted as one and their incomes combined.

able to make their own pension arrangements, was set in the knowledge that the employment is not pensionable; and, in management's view, interviewers are paid the appropriate remuneration for the job. However, the trade union representing the staff concerned intend to submit evidence to support a claim that the total remuneration package for interviewers employed by OPCS should be substantially uplifted by providing for their membership of the PCSPS. The Treasury and OPCS management will consider further the claim for pension ability very carefully in the light of this evidence; but it would be necessary to look for an offsetting adjustment to the present level of fees in order to provide for membership of the PCSPS, or some other pension arrangement, unless an increase in the remuneration for interviewers were found to be justified.