§ Lord Ritchie of Dundeeasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many teachers employed by local education authorities have retired prematurely each year since 1979 and how many of these retirements are known to have been due to stress or stress-related illnesses.
§ The Earl of SwintonUnder the separate teachers' superannuation schemes operating in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the minimum retirement age is normally 60. Teachers may retire earlier on grounds of infirmity or, for those aged between 50 and 60, if the employer certifies that the teacher's service has been terminated by reason of redundancy or in the interests of the efficient discharge of the employer's functions. The number of infirmity and premature retirements in each of the financial years since 1979, so far as the information is available, is as follows:—
ENGLAND AND WALES Financial Year 79/80 80/81 81/82 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 Premature 3,461 4,301 6,341 6,997 7,409 9,175 10,169✶ Infirmity 1,529 1,354 1,509 1,859 2,068 2,455 2,550 SCOTLAND Financial Year 79/80 80/81 81/82 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 Premature Figures not available 179 933 644 609 601 Infirmity " 130 183 176 230 247 NORTHERN IRELAND Financial Year 79/80 80/81 81/82 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 Premature 44 47 90 122 153 227 260 Infirmity 31 45 39 47 46 66 46 Notes:
1 Numbers relate to both local education authority and private sector employment; separate figures are not maintained.
2. Figures for England and Wales, other than those relating to premature retirement during 1985/86 (marked ✶), refer to those teachers who retired before the normal retirement age of 60. The 1985/86 premature retirement figure, together with all those relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland, include some infirmity and premature retirements for teachers over the age of 60.
Information about the reasons for retirement on the grounds of infirmity is not maintained in such a way as separately to indentify how many of these retirements have been due to stress or stress-related illnesses.