§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will undertake a survey of the operation by police forces of the Home Office's non-negotiable processes of applications by officers seeking retirement on the grounds of ill-health retirement; whether he will amend the process to enable a speedier conclusion; and if he will make a statement. [105301]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthPolice officers are a valuable resource and one of our priorities is to ensure that their skills and expertise are retained by forces as long as practicable. Under the Police Pensions Regulations it is the responsibility of the police authority for the force concerned to decide whether to retire or retain an officer who has been assessed as permanently disabled by their selected medical practitioner. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary reviewed the management of ill-health retirement of police officers in their thematic inspection report of 1997, 'Lost Time'.
As part of the police reform process the Police Negotiating Board agreed in May 2002 ways to deliver a fair and more consistent approach towards early retirement due to ill health. Following the May Agreement the Police Negotiating Board agreed on 30 January changes to the Police Pensions Regulations to help support good practice, and joint guidance on the procedures for considering ill-health retirement. The new regulations come into force on 1 April and the joint guidance should be applied from 1 July. Under the guidance each case should be handled as expeditiously as possible consistent with a properly informed decision as to retirement or retention, with cases involving imminent death or severe disablement being given expedited treatment.