§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost to the rate fund in England and Wales of local government pension funds for each year since 1974–75.
§ Mr. Guy BarnettThe total costs to the rate fund in England and Wales of employers' contributions to local government pension funds and provision for pension increases were as follows:
£ million 1974–75 203.47 1975–76 299.38 1976–77 368.18 1977–78 418.20
§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, what proportions of local authority (a) staff and (b) manual workers in England and Wales are members of index-linked pension schemes.
§ Mr. Guy BarnettThe percentages of local government employees—excluding teachers, firemen and police—in the 747W index-linked local government superannuation scheme are: non-manual staff 85 per cent.; manual employees 60 per cent. Employees who are members of the scheme are contracted out of the earnings-related part of the State scheme. Other employees—part-timers and manual employees who opted to remain outside the local government scheme—are subject to the earnings-related part of the State scheme under which pensions are also index-linked.