§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS workers, who have received pension638W payouts or redundancy payouts, have been employed by, or given remunerated services to, the NHS following their pension or redundancy payout in the last three years for which figures are available. [95638]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 5 February 2003]: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Department of Health issued Health Service Guidance (95)25, NHS early retirement arrangements, which clearly states that offers of re-employment or payments for consultancy work are not expected to be made to former national health service employees who have taken early retirement from the NHS at public expense, unless the offer clearly represents good value for money in relation to alternatives.
Further employment of staff who receive early payment of NHS pension benefits as a result of compulsory redundancy, or who volunteer to retire early with actuarially reduced pension benefits, is not restricted. However, the HSG provides guidelines on the abatement and suspension of NHS pension during reemployment in the NHS.