HL Deb 16 March 1994 vol 553 c12WA
Lord Barnett

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many employees, past and present, from the public sector became eligible to leave their occupational pension schemes on the date when arrangements were changed, and how many have now left.

Lord Henley

All employees became eligible to leave their occupational pension schemes in April 1988, including about 4.8 million in the public sector. Information on the numbers who have opted out is not available for all public sector schemes. Since 1988, about 120,000 members have opted out of the Civil Service, NHS (England and Wales), Teachers' (England and Wales), and Armed Forces schemes, against a current membership of about 2,150,000. Past employees automatically cease to be active members on the date they leave employment.