§ Mrs. GilroyTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the total cost of introducing retrospective changes to the superannuation scheme for civil servants so as to ensure that former and current civil servants are granted pension entitlements for the years they were designated as having permanent unestablished status solely on the basis of a hearing impairment. [65268]
§ Mr. KilfoyleNo estimate has been made of these costs (or of extending any concession to the large numbers of civil servants who in other circumstances did not qualify for a pension). I am afraid that I can hold out no hope of any relevant improvement in the statutory provisions. In superannuation matters, it is rarely, if ever, possible to make changes with retrospective effect.
§ Mrs. GilroyTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the total number of civil servants who have not yet reached retirement age who have at some point in their career been given permanent unestablished status solely on the grounds of a hearing impediment. [65267]
§ Mr. KilfoyleThe distinction between established and unestablished service disappeared in 1972 when a new pension scheme was introduced. Staff serving in an unestablished capacity, including those on permanent unestablished terms, were admitted to the scheme. Their earlier unestablished service then became pensionable. There are no centrally held records of the numbers of staff serving in a permanent unestablished capacity who resigned before this change was made and who subsequently returned to the Civil Service.