§ Mr. Selwyn Gummerasked the Minister for the Civil Service when he hopes to introduce the changes in the Civil Service pension scheme which have been recently proposed.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerThe Report of the Civil Service Joint Superannuation Review Committee, a Whitley Committee representing both management and staff, was published in February. The Government welcomed the Report and the National Staff side endorsed it on 1st June. It will now be put into effect. The necessary amending scheme will be laid before Parliament in accordance with Section 2(11) of the Superannuation Act, 1972, as soon as possible. In general the operative date for the new scheme will be 1st June, 1972, though, as earlier agreed with the National Staff Side, certain changes will benefit those whose pensions began on or after 1st March, 1972, the date on which the Superannuation Act received the Royal Assent. Full details will be available in all Government departments.
For administrative reasons, it will be several months before certain aspects of the new scheme, particularly those involving options open to the staff, can be brought fully into operation, but when introduced they will be applied to staff who may have retired in the interim.