§ Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an estimate of the annual cost to the Exchequer of removing the restriction on police officers who have completed 25 but less than 30 years' service not being allowed to receive their pension until they have reached the age of 50 years.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe information requested would require assumptions about the extent to which police officers would be likely to take up this option were it available. It would be a question of giving up the chance to earn a full pension in order to retire early which would depend very much on individual circumstances. There is no reliable basis for such an estimate. Apart from the management implications for the police service, the change in question would be contrary to the Inland Revenue requirements for the tax approval of retirement benefits schemes. Such a change must therefore be considered unlikely.