§ Mr. Anthony Grantasked the Minister for the Civil Service how many of the 47,500 civil servants whose salaries either exceed that of a Member of Parliament or who are in grades where the salary scale straddles the salary of a Member of Parliament also enjoy inflation-proof pensions.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisOf the 47,500 civil servants referred to only some 10,500 are in fact in grades with salary maxima above the £8,000 pensionable salary of a Member of Parliament. Many of these are on scale points well below the maximum and some will not reach that level by the time of retirement. The vast majority will be members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, one of the designated schemes under the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971, and therefore contingently eligible for an inflation-proofed pension on retirement—as also, of course, are Members of Parliament.