§ Mr. BellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will reconsider reducing the age of entry into the local government superannuation scheme from 18 to 16 years; and if he will make a statement:
(2) if he will abolish the 12-month waiting period for manual workers to enter the local government superannuation scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeNo. The rules which debar admission to the scheme to employees under the age of 18 and to manual workers during their first year of service were made many 117W years ago with the agreement of the local government employers and the unions. There is nothing in the recent social security legislation which requires an occupational pension scheme to admit classes of employees who have previously been excluded.
§ Mr. BellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates have been made of workers nearing the end of their service who have opted out of the local government superannuation scheme and, because of the diminished advantage of a personal pension, joined the state earnings-related pension scheme; and how this will affect the Government's plan to reduce the cost of the state earnings-related pension scheme.
§ Mr. ChopeThe regulations under which employees may elect to leave the local government scheme only came into force on 6 April, and it is too early to estimate the numbers and ages of those who will take advantage of the new provisions.