§ Lord BYERSasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the estimated costs of Civil Service pensions (excluding the Armed Forces) for each of the next 20 years expressed in 1976 values; and on what assumptions those figures are based; and
What proportion of the GNP will be represented by the provision of Civil Service pensions in each of the next 20 years and what is the assumed rate of growth of the GNP over that period.
§ Lord SHEPHERDEstimates of net expenditure, at 1975 Survey prices, on Civil Service superannuation in the financial years 1975–76 to 1979–80 were included in Table 2.14 of the White PaperPublic Expenditure to 1979–80 (Cmnd 6393) and take into account the increasing number of retirements expected in those years. These figures represent about one-quarter of 1 per cent. of GDP at factor cost, as estimated for the years in question on the basis of the central assumption about future growth (Table 1.1 of the White Paper). No estimate has been made of the growth of GDP for the years beyond 1979–80, nor have detailed estimates been made of annual Civil Superannuation expenditure beyond that date; there is no reason, however, to expect any major change in the proportion of GDP involved.