HC Deb 24 May 2002 vol 386 cc708-9W
Mr. Clapham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees in the(a) police force, (b) fire service and (c) prison service retired through work-related injury or ill-health in the last year for which records are available; and what the total cost to the Department was. [56064]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 20 May 2002]There were 1,209 ill health retirements from the police service in 2000–01. I understand from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions that there were 238 retirements due to work-related ill health from the fire service in 2000–01. This excludes Bedfordshire and Luton, and West Sussex brigades, for which data were not available. There were 221 ill-health retirements from the prison service in 2001–02.

Separate figures are not kept centrally for ill health retirements from the police and prison service which are specifically work-related. In none of the three services is information held centrally as to costs in the form requested. However, the cost in civil service pensions of the ill-health retirements from the prison service in 2001–02 was £4,196,348.