§ Mr. PortilloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether, under the Government's proposals for public service pension reform, a male doctor over 60 years of age and with 40 years' service, who decides not to retire before 2005, would still be able to retire before the age of 65; what rewards would accrue to him for working beyond the age of 60; and whether his accrual rate would move from to per year after 2005. [91861]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Green Paper sets out, for consultation, wide-ranging proposals for pensions and saving for retirement. We will want to consider its implications for the national health service scheme carefully and consult fully on proposals for change. In doing so, we shall take account of the work recently published in the stock-take report, "Pension Scheme Modernisation: A Millennium Health Check for the NHS Pension Scheme".
Clearly, it will take some time to review the current scheme in the light of the Green Paper and the associated tax consultation document. The pace of change will depend on introducing new regulations, and changes for new entrants are likely to be in place before amending arrangements for existing members. However, the Green Paper makes no reference to retrospective age-related restrictions for a member already at age 60.