§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the offices and numbers of relevant employees for which he has executive or advisory responsibility in each of the following: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe offices and numbers of employees for which I have departmental responsibility at each of these locations are as follows:
persons were employed in the Civil Service excluding the Post Office on 30th September 1964; and how many were employed on 30th September 1975, or on the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisOn 30th September 1964 the Civil Service—excluding the Post Office—employed 406,219 permanent and 248,644 temporary staff, the latter not being pensionable. On 30th September 1975 there were 719,145 permanent staff nearly all of whom are pensionable, those serving in a temporary capacity in 1972 automatically having become pensionable with the introduction of the new Civil Service pension scheme in that year.
§ Mr. Tim Rentonasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether his Department is taking actuarial advice about the 355W effect of inflation-proofing on Civil Service pensions.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisYes.
§ Mr. Tim Rentonasked the Minister for the Civil Service what percentage of Civil Service salaries is taken by the Pay Unit to be the value of current Civil Service pension benefits when making comparisons between total emoluments in the public and private sectors.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisBefore being attributed to the equivalent Civil Service grade all pay rates provided by the Civil Service Pay Research Unit for broadly comparable private sector employment are specifically reduced by the precise superannuation contribution paid for personal benefits by those in such employment; this in a typical case is 5 per cent. or 6 per cent. A further deduction, which was 1.75 per cent. under the 1974 pay agreement, is made to take account of differences in superannuation benefits. The pay agreement between the Official and Staff Sides of the National Whitley Council provides for this last adjustment to be reassessed by the Government Actuary following each pay research settlement, in order to determine whether the size of the adjustment is still appropriate.
§ Mr. Tim Rentonasked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the total pension cost in this year's Estimates for civil servants, including present employees; and what was the comparable figure in each of the last four years.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe Civil Service pension scheme is not funded. The Exchequer meets the cost of emerging benefits through the Vote for Civil Superannuation etc.—Class XIV, Vote 6 in the Supply Estimates for 1975–76—to which contributions paid by civil servants towards the cost of widows' etc. benefits and other offsetting receipts are appropriated in aid. Excluding a special payment of £40 million in respect of the pension rights of civil servants transferred to the Civil Aviation Authority and the small provision made for payments to and in respect of ex-members of the Royal Irish Constabulary, the original estimate for net expenditure from this Vote in 1975–76 was £190.8 million, but356W parliamentary approval will be sought for an additional £16.8 million in the Winter Supplementary Estimates. The resulting total of £207.6 million compares with actual net expenditure for comparable services of £160.3 million in 1974–75, £135.5 million in 1973–74. £128.5 million in 1972–73 and £107.5 million in 1971–72.
§ Dr. Glynasked the Minister for the Civil Service what has been the cost to public funds of inflation-proofing the pensions of civil servants in the financial years 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75. respectively.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe cost of inflation-proofing the pensions of civil servants, including widows' and children's benefits, rose by approximately £6 million, £8 million, £9 million and £12 million for the financial years 1971–72, 1972–73. 1973–74 and 1974–75 respectively.