§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reform fire service pensions in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [126413]
§ Phil HopeThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service", published on 30 June, our plans for changes to the pension arrangements for firelighters. As a first step, on 17 July a document, for consultation, detailing our proposals to amend the existing Firefighters' Pension Scheme was published.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also planning to introduce a new scheme more suited to the service of the future as well as pension arrangements for retained firefighters. We will consult fully on our proposals in due course.