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30 Oct 2006 : Column 21W—continued
In the triennial valuation report laid before the House in March 2006, the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) calculated the Exchequer contribution should be 26.8 per cent. of pensionable pay from 2006-07 until 2020-21 and then 18.1 per cent. of pensionable pay thereafter. The estimated cost of contributions payable by the Exchequer for 2006-07 to 2008-09, the period until the next triennial valuation, is £11.9 million per annum. As at 31 March 2006 the membership of the PCPF was as follows:
| Number | |
|
Deferred members (former MPs, Ministers and office holders not yet in receipt of a pension) | |
Mr. Laws: To ask the Leader of the House (1) what the arrangements are for the payment of pensions to people who retire early through ill-health for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund; what the incidence of the health retirement was as a percentage of all retirements from the scheme for each year since 1988-89; and if he will make a statement; [96526]
(2) what the current rate of ill-health retirement is for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund; and if he will make a statement. [96529]
Mr. Straw:
The granting of early retirement is a matter for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) trustees. A current Member who ceases to serve as an MP or Office Holder prior to age 65 and who applies to retire because of ill-health, is required
to be examined by a medical practitioner appointed by the trustees to advise on whether his or her ill-health would prevent him or her from performing adequately the duties of a MP. The resulting medical report is considered by the trustees. A former MP or Office Holder may also apply to receive an ill-health pension, subject to confirming that he or she does not intend to seek election to the House or accept any future offer to serve as an Office Holder, and the medical practitioner confirming that the former member has retired from ‘gainful work’ as a direct consequence of ill-health.
The incidence of ill health retirements of current and former Members from the Fund between 1987 and 2005 is shown in the following table.
Statistics for each individual year are not available.
| Of which: | |||
| Period (as at 1 April each year) | Total retirements | Retirements paid early on ill health grounds | Percentage paid early on ill health grounds |
Serving Members who are awarded an ill-health pension are provided with a pension that they could have expected to receive had they served as an MP up to age 65. Former Members awarded an ill-health pension receive their pension built up to the date of retirement without actuarial reduction for early payment.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Leader of the House (1) what the current (a) accrual rate and (b) normal retirement age is for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund; and if he will make a statement; [96528]
(2) what the (a) present and (b) future retirement age arrangements are for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund. [96527]
Mr. Straw: The accrual rate for the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) is 1/40(th) of final salary for each year of service with an option to pay a lower contribution rate for 1/50(th) accrual. The normal retirement age in the PCPF is 65. There are no plans to change the normal retirement age.
Members who have served as an MP since 2 April 1991 can receive a pension on retirement before 65, subject to having completed 15 years as an MP. The pension is actuarially reduced to take account of early payment. Members elected before 4 November 2004 can also currently draw an early retirement pension without any reduction being applied for early payment if they are aged 60 or above and their combined age and service under the scheme totals 80 or more at date of retirement. In agreeing to phase out this retirement provision, the House decided in 2004 that only service up to 1 April 2009 or the next General Election, whichever was the later, would count towards the qualifying period for early retirement.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Leader of the House what estimate he has made of the unfunded liability, in present value terms, of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund; and what assumptions for (a) discount rate and (b) longevity is the estimate based upon. [96530]
Mr. Straw: The Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) is a fully funded pension scheme. Following the triennial actuarial valuation report laid before the House in March 2006 by the Government Actuary, the Exchequer contribution was increased from 1 April 2006 to the equivalent of 26.8 per cent. of Members’ salaries. There is no unfunded liability.
September Sittings
Mr. Doran: To ask the Leader of the House what business was conducted on each day the House sat in September 2003 and September 2004; what the hours of sitting were on each day; and how many (a) divisions took place and (b) hon. Members took part in each division. [98395]
Mr. Straw: The House held normal sittings in September in 2003 and 2004 for eight and seven days respectively. There were emergency recalls in 1990 (two days), 1992 (two days), 1998 (two days), 2001 (three separate days) and 2002 (one day). The information for 2003 and 2004 is as follows:
There were also sittings in Westminster Hall on eight days and 2,888 parliamentary questions were dealt with.
There were also sittings in Westminster Hall on six days and 2,201 parliamentary questions dealt with.
International Development
Age Discrimination
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its work force, (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers, (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and (d) extend to over-fifties the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement. [96497]
Mr. Thomas:
DFID regularly monitors the age profile of its workforce as part of our wider approach to diversity monitoring. DFID produces an Annual
Diversity Report. This looks at age data for recruitment, promotions, staff satisfaction and staff leaving DFID.
The Department has reviewed its policies to ensure we comply with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations introduced on 1 October 2006 and promote good practice on age. The trade union side and the chair of the General Advisory Group on Diversity were consulted.
DFID applies the same training needs assessment procedures to all staff, irrespective of age. All DFID staff have the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off.
Older staff can choose to either work reduced hours or downgrade as part of their preparations for retirement. DFID’s procedure for considering requests to work beyond our default retirement age of 65 includes the option of agreeing flexible working options.
Conflict Affected/Low Income States
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of children in countries designated (a) conflict-affected fragile states and (b) low income countries go to school. [97121]
Hilary Benn: The primary source of global data on out of school children is the Education for All Global Monitoring Report. The 2007 report was launched on 26 October. Using the data in the report of the numbers of primary school age children and those out of school, the percentages of primary aged children enrolled in school are calculated as (a) conflict-affected fragile states 79 per cent. and (b) low income countries 84 per cent. The report does not have data for seven conflict affected fragile states and 18 low income countries.
The designation of conflict-affected fragile states used in the calculation is from the Failed States Index (2005) and the Heidelberg Institute on International Conflict Research (2004). DFID is currently reviewing its use of a list of fragile states because countries frequently move in and out of conflict and political circumstances in a country can rapidly change. DFID uses the World Bank’s Country Income Groups for the classification of low income countries.
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries his Department categorises as (a) conflict-affected fragile states and (b) low income countries; and what funding his Department has allocated to those countries in each category in each of the last five years. [97122]
Hilary Benn:
The designation of conflict-affected fragile states is taken from the Failed States Index (2005) and the Heidelberg Institute on International Conflict Research Conflict Barometer (2004). These countries are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Laos, Nigeria, Nepal, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen. DFID is currently reviewing its
use of a list of fragile states because countries frequently move in and out of conflict and political circumstances in a country can rapidly change.
DFID uses the World Bank’s Country Income Groups for the classification of low income countries. DFID, in line with the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, update income group classifications every three years. For the purposes of the 2003-06 and 2005-08 Public Service Agreements, DFID use the World Bank thresholds based on GNI per capita in 2001 of less than US$746. Latest figures in our publication “Statistics on International Development” use the 2004 classification.
The list of 2004 low income countries, which includes 59 countries, appears in “Statistics on International Development”, published on 26 October 2006 on the DFID website (www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/sid2006/sid06-full.pdf, Annex 1, page 142). Hard copies will be available in the House of Commons Library.
Expenditure in conflict-affected fragile states and low income countries in each of the last five years can also be found in “Statistics on International Development” (table 12, pages 65-101).
Departmental Dress Code
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s policy is on the display of religious (i) artefacts, (ii) symbols and (iii) dress by its staff; how many staff have been subject to disciplinary proceedings regarding this policy in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [95638]
Mr. Thomas: DFID’s policy on religion or belief outlines that staff are welcome to display religious artefacts or symbols, or wear cultural or religious dress. This is part of our wider efforts to encourage the celebration of religious diversity.
However, it does make clear that religious materials should only be sent to other staff if there is a clear DFID business need, or if it improves the understanding of culture or diversity within the organisation or countries with which DFID work. It should not be circulated for missionary purposes or to achieve converts to any religion or belief.
DFID did not hold a central disciplinary record until October 2004. Data show there have been no cases of disciplinary action taken against staff in respect of our religion or belief policy.
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