HC Deb 22 December 1997 vol 303 cc542-5W
23. Sir Sydney Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the latest annual police budgets in England and Wales is allocated to meeting the cost of pensions; what was the comparable figure five years ago; and what is his estimated figure for five years ahead. [20181]

Mr. Michael

In their returns to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, police authorities in England and Wales estimated that net policy pension costs will be 11.9 per cent. of total net expenditure in 1997–98. The comparable figure for 1992–93 is 8.2 per cent. There are no estimates for five years ahead.

32. Mr. Clifton-Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reform the police pension scheme. [20191]

Mr. Michael

An inter-Department review of police pensions has been considering whether new recruits should belong to a reformed police pension scheme and whether changes are necessary to the current medical retirement procedures. We hope to issue a consultation paper in the new year and we will invite all interested parties to contribute to the debate.

Sir Brian Mawhinney

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by police force, the cost(a) in cash and (b) as a percentage of budget, of pension provision for each of the past five financial years, and in each case the budgets for (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99 and (iii) 1999–2000. [21932]

Mr. Michael

The information requested in respect of years 1992–93 to 1997–98 is set out in the table. Police authority budgets are set in the beginning of each year following the revenue settlement announced by the Government. Budget information for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 is therefore not available. The cost of pension provision for 1998–1999 and 1999–2000 is also not available. The costs will in part be influenced by retirements in each preceding year.

Net Police pension costs
1992–93 1993–94 1994–95
Net pension costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure Net pension costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure Net pension costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure
Lincolnshire 4,836 9.1 5,540 9.9 n/a —
Merseyside 19,807 10.2 23,908 11.5 26,041 12.1
Metropolitan Police 107,984 7.1 120,953 7.8 154,666 9.7
Norfolk 4,404 7.3 5,401 8.4 6,897 10.1
North Wales 5,166 9.0 5,927 9.9 5,771 9.2
North Yorkshire 7,150 11.9 10,345 16.3 8,946 14.0
Northamptonshire 3,930 7.5 4,407 8 6,107 10.1
Northumbria 15,528 10.6 18,218 11.4 19,933 11.3
Nottinghamshire 8,214 8.8 10,240 10.4 11,397 10.7
South Wales 10,794 8.3 10,655 8.0 14,513 10.9
South Yorkshire 10,612 8.7 11,782 9.1 11,121 8.1
Staffordshire 10,894 12.0 12,714 13.1 11,610 11.6
Suffolk 3,548 6.8 5,435 9.8 5,872 10.3
Surrey 5,770 8.1 5,992 8 7,318 8.7
Sussex 11,241 9.6 12,218 10.0 12,704 9.7
Thames Valley Police 8,660 5.2 11,625 6.5 12,687 6.6
Warwickshire 2,253 5.1 3,483 7.3 4,180 8.4
West Mercia 5,532 6.5 7,076 7.7 9,489 9.7
West Midlands 22,210 7.7 24,164 8.1 29,945 9.6
West Yorkshire 20,588 9.5 25,959 11.4 27,367 11.6
Wiltshire 3,259 6.3 3,535 6.5 4,143 7.0
Total 460,824 8.2 542,771 9.2 595,983 10.0
n/a=not available.
Net police pension costs
1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
Net pensions costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure Net pension costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure Net pension costs (£000) Budget (£000) Percentage of budget
Avon and Somerset 17,780 12.6 22,452 14.5 24,741 160,637 15.4
Bedfordshire 4,890 9.0 5,451 9.5 5,997 59,787 10.0
Cambridgeshire 5,871 9.6 7,280 11.0 8,597 69,030 12.5
Cheshire 10,074 11.5 9,824 10.1 9,470 102,398 9.2
City of London 6,848 12.2 7,247 12.1 7,205 61,687 11.7
Cleveland 7,950 11.6 10,346 13.5 9,451 76,177 12.4
Cumbria 6,145 11.5 7,511 12.9 8,138 60,301 13.5
Derbyshire 10,416 12.1 11,073 12.0 12,430 96,340 12.9
Devon and Cornwall 17,661 12.2 17,926 11.7 20,343 159,570 12.7
Dorset 6,947 11.0 7,618 11.2 8,225 70,772 11.6
Durham 7,218 11.6 10,078 14.3 9,121 74,148 12.3
Dyfed Powys 7,036 15.2 6,379 13.1 6,519 50,481 12.9
Essex 14,045 9.6 14,809 9.6 16,300 159,512 10.2
Gloucestershire 5,635 10.4 6,892 11.8 8,489 60,814 14.0
Greater Manchester 43,809 13.2 45,286 13.2 50,089 355,633 14.1
Gwent 3,695 8.3 8,410 13.6 8,144 65,162 12.5
Hampshire 17,316 10.6 15,633 8.9 18,499 182,513 10.1
Hertfordshire 6,060 6.9 6,701 7.4 8,421 93,989 9.0
Humberside 11,228 11.6 11,706 11.4 12,428 107,052 11.6
Kent 15,046 9.7 19,191 11.7 19,427 170,625 11.4
Lancashire 19,662 12.9 22,482 13.7 22,650 169,841 13.3
Leicestershire 10,888 12.5 12,400 13.1 11,754 98,529 11.9
Lincolnshire 7,786 13.2 8,267 13.1 8,546 65,776 13.0
Merseyside 29,934 13.6 33,147 14.7 39,256 235,027 16.7
Metropolitan Police 150,347 9.2 156,582 9.3 172,780 1,705,000 10.1
Norfolk 8,489 12.1 10,639 14 11,376 79,011 14.4
North Wales 7,489 11.4 7,956 11.5 10,223 72,039 14.2
North Yorkshire 8,459 13.4 11,038 15.8 11,976 72,426 16.5
Northamptonshire 5,470 9.6 6,310 10.2 6,937 64,443 10.8
Northumbria 26,636 14.9 26,220 13.9 28,670 195,289 14.7
Nottinghamshire 11,732 11.0 13,144 11.4 14,651 119,682 12.2
South Wales 18,828 13.0 19,667 13.0 22,745 156,800 14.5
South Yorkshire 12,700 8.8 15,927 10.2 16,700 160,673 10.4
Staffordshire 11,377 11.5 14,190 12.9 15,446 114,150 13.5
Suffolk 7,137 12.8 8,494 13.6 8,550 64,214 13.3
Surrey 7,803 9.4 9,566 11.0 10,414 90,727 11.5
Sussex 17,438 12.7 18,680 12.5 22,624 157,390 14.4
Thames Valley Police 15,992 8.2 16,244 7.9 18,733 212,162 8.8
Warwickshire 5,004 10.5 5,253 10.6 6,191 51,451 12.0
West Mercia 8,875 9.3 10,535 10.2 11,496 107,701 10.7
Net police pension costs
1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
Net pensions costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure Net pension costs (£000) Percentage of net expenditure Net pension costs (£000) Budget (£000) Percentage of budget
West Midlands 34,304 10.4 40,305 11.7 42,150 357,166 11.8
West Yorkshire 25,775 10.8 30,677 11.7 34,259 270,660 12.7
Wiltshire 4,032 7.4 7,496 12.1 6,431 63,980 10.1
Total 681,827 10.8 757,032 11.3 826,592 6,920,658 11.9