HC Deb 02 November 1993 vol 231 cc156-7W
Mr. Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the expected cost of the scheme in the Department of Employment for voluntary early retirement for civil servants aged 50 years and over(a) in 1993–94 and (b) in subsequent years; and how this scheme is being funded within the overall public expenditure totals for those years.

Miss Widdecombe

The cost of running voluntary early retirement schemes for civil servants aged 50 and over in the Employment Department group during 1993–94 is expected to be about £17 million. If the quota for whom provision has been made retire during 1993–94, the subsequent cost for 1994–95 and 1995–96 is expected to be £8.5 million. The scheme is funded from within the Department's running costs provision, which is subject to normal overall public expenditure controls.