§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey)My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Paul Boateng) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
Legislation governing public service pensions requires public service pensions to be increased 70WS annually by the same percentage as additional pensions (state earnings-related pension and state second pension). My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced on 6 December 2004 (Hansard col. 906) that benefits such as additional pensions will be increased by 3.1 per cent, in line with the annual increase in the retail prices index up to September 2004. Public service pensions will therefore be increased by 3.1 per cent from 11 April 2005, except those which have been in payment for less than a year, which will receive a pro-rata increase.