§ Mr. FlightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the funding procedures for the pension scheme of the Sussex Ambulance Service; what contributions are provided by the(a) employees and (b) employers; what is the median age of retirement for ambulance men; and what assessment he has made of the structure of the fund relative to the retirement profile of the service. [17213]
§ Mr. MilburnIn common with all other National Health Service employees the Sussex Ambulance Service personnel are eligible to join the NHS Pension Scheme. The scheme is based on a notional fund assumed to be invested entirely in gilts.
The Government Actuary reviews the fund at quinquennial intervals. Factors such as the scheme's retirement profile form part of his valuation reports in which he recommends an appropriate rate of employer contribution. Currently this is 4 per cent. of pensionable earnings.
Employee contributions are levied at the rate of 5 per cent. for manual employees and 6 per cent. for non-manuals.
The median retirement age for ambulance men is not known because within the valuation data they are included with other employment groups. The scheme's normal retirement age is 60.