§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will set out in the Official Report a table of salaries, years of service and pension entitlements, and percentages of basic salaries paid for such pension rights of firemen.
§ Mr. WhitelawThe current rates of fire service pay were promulgated in a circular issued by the national joint council for chief officers of local authorities' fire brigades
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Firemen's Pension Entitlements Circumstances of leaving the fire service Type of pension payable Annual amount of pension (in references to pensionable service, fractions of a year count pro rata) Fireman who has reached the age of 50 and retires with at least 25 years' pensionable service. Ordinary pension. Subject to a maximum of forty-sixtieths: One-sixtieth of the fireman's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service up to 20 years, plus two-sixtieths of that pay for each year of pensionable service over 20 years. Fireman is compulsorily retired on age grounds with at least five but less than 25 years' pensionable service. Short service pension. Calculated in the same way as an ordinary pension. on 8 September 1981 and in national joint council for local authorities' fire brigades circulars issued on 27 October 1982 and 5 November 1982. Copies of these circulars are available in the Library. The pension entitlement of a regular fireman under the firemen's pension scheme depends upon the circumstances of his leaving the fire service. It is normally based on his average pensionable pay during his last year of service and his length of pensionable service, up to a maximum of 30 years. The main pension scheme benefits for a fireman who joined the fire service since 1972 are as follows:
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Circumstances of leaving the fire service Type of pension payable Annual amount of pension (in references to pensionable service, fractions of a year count pro rata) Fireman retires on ill-health grounds either with at least five years' pensionable service or as a result of an injury received on duty. Ill-health pension. Less than five years' pensionable service: One-sixtieth of the fireman's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service. Five to 10 years' pensionable service: Two-sixtieths of the fireman's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service. Over 10 but not more than 13 years' pensionable service: Twenty-sixtieths of the fireman's average pensionable pay. Over 13 years' pensionable service: Subject to a maximum of forty-sixtieths or the amount of the ordinary or short service pension the fireman could have earned by compulsory retirement age: Seven-sixtieths of the fireman's average pensionable pay, plus one-sixtieth of that pay for each year of pensionable service up to 20 years and two-sixtieths of that pay for each year of pensionable service over 20 years. Fireman leaves with at least five years' pensionable service and does not qualify for an ordinary, short service or ill-health pension. Deferred pension payable at age 60 or sooner if he becomes permanently disabled. One-forty-fifth of the fireman's average pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service up to an overall maximum of forty-sixtieths. Notes:
(1) A fireman's widow's pension is normally half her husband's pension. If he dies while serving it is normally half the ill-health pension he would have received had he retired on ill-health grounds on the day he died.
(2) In certain circumstances there are benefits for children and dependent relatives.
(3) There are also benefits in respect of injury or death on duty, the cost of which is met in full by the employer.
As regards the fireman's contribution to the cost of these benefits, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Griffiths) on 10 November.—[Vol. 31, c. 148.]