§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the main differences in contributions, elements of pay taken into account in assessing contributions, benefits, the respective degree of inflation-proofing and its date of commencement, the respective numbers in each scheme, and the respective cost in the last available year between the manual and staff pension schemes in local government excluding teachers; and whether any steps are currently being taken to reduce any differences between schemes.
§ Mr. OakesThe local government scheme embodied in the Local Government Superannuation Regulations, 1974, applies to manual workers and officers138W alike. Contributions are, 5 per cent. of pay for manual workers, 6 per cent. for officers—other than those in limited, now closed, classes who have rights reserved from previous legislation. Benefits are the same for both, and both qualify for pension increases under the Pensions Increase Act, 1971. The number of local government employees now in the scheme—excluding firemen and police, who have their own schemes—is, very approximately, 900,000, of whom perhaps 550,000 are manual workers.