§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 2 May,Official Report, column 150, if he will provide comparable details on civil service early retirement packages on grounds of inefficiency. [29291]
§ Mr. GoodladInefficiency is a ground for dismissal. An immediate lump sum payment of up to two years' salary may be made where a Department judges payment of compensation to be appropriate. Where compensation is agreed and the person dismissed is over the age of 55, this may be forgone in favour of immediate payment of the accrued superannuation benefits which would otherwise be preserved for payment at retiring age. Details of the departures on inefficiency grounds are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.