HC Deb 14 June 1989 vol 154 cc446-7W
Sir Peter Hordern

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the total cost of pensions paid to civil servants in each of the last five years.

Mr. Brooke

Pensions paid to civil servants, along with certain other pension payments (including pensions paid to the dependants of former civil servants), are a charge on the civil superannuation vote. It is not possible to separate out the costs of the other pension payments but, with the exception of pensions paid to the dependants of former civil servants, the costs are small. Total pension costs, as recorded in the Appropriation Accounts for subhead A 1 of the vote, in each of the last five years are as follows:

£'000
1983–84 855,079
1984–85 931,344
1985–86 1,017,876
1986–87 1,112,685
1987–88 1,163,226

Sir Peter Hordern

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average pension and lump sum paid to civil servants in retirement after 40 years service in each grade from grade 6 and above.

Mr. Brooke

A civil servant with 40 years' service and paid at the scale maximum of the respective grade (excluding London weighting where payable) would qualify on retirement for a pension and lump sum as follows:

Pension £ Lump sum £
Grade 6 14,085 42,255
Grade 5 15,801 47,403
Grade 4 17,707 53,122
Grade 3 19,500 58,500
Grade 2 24,000 72,000
Grade 1A 31,375 94,125
Grade 1 34,250 102,750

Capital gains tax Capital transfer taxi Inheritance tax
Reduction, compared with indexed 1978–79 regime, in:
Total liability (£ million)
1988–89 1,250 600
1989–90 1,350 670
Average liability 1(£)
1988–89 1,900 8,500
1989–90 1,900 9,500
Taxpayer numbers (thousands)
1978–79 indexed regime
1988–89 650 70
1989–90 700 70
Present regime
1988–89 145 24
1989–90 160 24
1 The reduction in the average liability is calculated using the estimated number of taxpayers under the 1978–79 indexed regime.

The figures for capital gains tax exclude capital gains realised by companies and taxed within corporation tax. For each tax, the 1988–89 and 1989–90 tax bases are taken as given. It is not possible to determine to what extent changes to the taxes between 1978–79 and the present may have affected the levels of transfers and disposals. The comparisons can be regarded as no more than indicative of the orders of magnitude involved.

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