§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health If he will make a statement on the effects which staging the fee increases to general dental practitioners for the financial years 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99 will have on general dental practitioners' pensions. [112031]
§ Mr. DenhamNational Health Service pensions are based on actual levels of pensionable remuneration and not on deemed or notional earnings. Where staging occurs, only earnings actually received are taken into
Analysis of General Medical Service Non Cash limited Expenditure for Locum Allowance, England 1994–95 to 1998–99 £ For single handed rural GPs attending trainig courses Sickness Confinement Prolonged study leave Total 1994–95 95,761 4,112,600 2,199,685 624,455 7,032,501 1995–96 122,616 4,629,919 2,167,949 623,081 7,543,565 1996–97 213,320 4,157,683 2,197,246 748,824 7,317,073 1997–98 419,450 3,898,453 2,524,973 1,032,067 7,874,943 1998–99 238,260 4,545,889 3,051,148 1,438,380 9,273,677 Sources:
1. Annual financial returns of family health services authorities, 1994–95 and 1995–96
2. Annual financial returns of health authorities, 1996–97 to 1998–99
324Waccount in the calculation of pensions. The effect of staging, therefore, is slightly to reduce the pension from the figure that would be payable had staging not occurred. The degree to which this happens for an individual will depend on when that person retires and their earnings in the years before the staging and during the years when the staging applied. General Dental Practitioners' pensions are calculated on total career earnings uprated in accordance with a formula agreed with the profession.