Staff pensions
A request and disclosure to provide information about pensions funded by the department between 2007 and 2010.
Documents
Details
- Date requested: 6 May 2010
- Publish date: 8 June 2010
- Updated: 26 April 2012
Request
Can the department provide the following information about pensions funded by the department in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10? Please state
-
how many staff retired from the organisation in each year?
- how many staff began drawing a pension accrued from their service at the organisation in each year?
- how many staff were classed as taking “early retirement” in each year?
- what was the average age of staff retiring in each year?
- what was the youngest age of a member of staff, former or past, currently receiving a pension accrued while working for the organisation?
- how many staff aged under 55 began claiming a pension funded by the
organisation in each year?
- of all individuals that currently received a pension earned from service at the organisation, how many are still working for the organisation as
a) employees
b) consultants
c) workers in any other paid capacity?
Release
Since 1970 the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and Cabinet Office have, on behalf of the Government, produced an annual collection of civil service data known as Mandate (1970-2005, run by Cabinet Office) and the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) (2005-date, run by ONS). Reasons for leaving are one of the elements of data that all government departments are required to submit each year for analysis and publication.
Cabinet Office’s Mandate time series publications are available.
Where some data is not published, this is normally because the level of data quality falls below that which can be relied upon for strategic analysis and statistical purposes.
Please note that the Department for Children Schools and Families became the Department for Education on 12 May 2010.
With reference to question 1: The total number of staff to retire from the organisation (Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) 2007-10):
| Name | Term of Office | Political activity declared | Remuneration | Other public appointments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jull Pullen | Three years | None | £300 per day for approximately 25 days per year |
NHS non executive director
schools adjudicator |
The answer is based on those members going from an active member status (i.e. employed by the department) to a pensioner status. It therefore excludes members who have taken payment, whether early (after age 50) or at normal retirement age (age 60), of their preserved benefits. Preserved benefits are where a member has left the employment of the department but whose benefit entitlement has not been put into payment as they are either not entitled to claim it or they have chosen not to claim it at the point of leaving employment.
With reference to question 2: The number of staff who began drawing a pension accrued from their service at the organisation (DCSF):
Financial year 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009- 2010
| Financial year | 2007–2008 | 2008–2009 | 2009– 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total number of individuals drawing a pension |
114 | 83 | 110 |
The answer is based on the answer to Q1 but includes those members who claimed payment of their preserved benefits, whether early (after age 50) or at normal retirement age (age 60).
With reference to question 3: How many staff took early retirement (DCSF):
<| Financial year | 2007–2008 | 2008–2009 | 2009–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of early retirees | 63 | 23 | 51 |
The answer is based on those members going from an active member status to a pensioner status, who was aged, 50 or over but under age 60. It therefore excludes members who have taken payment of the preserved retirement benefits early, i.e. before age 60. It also excludes those members who have retired on ill health grounds.
With reference to the fourth question 4: The average age of staff retiring from DCSF:
| Financial year | 2007–2008 | 2008–2009 | 2009–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of retirees | 56 | 58 | 55 |
The answer is based on the members identified for Q1 and therefore only includes those going from an active member status to a pensioner status, therefore excluding those members who have taken payment of their preserved benefits.
With reference to question 5: The youngest age of a member of staff currently receiving a pension accrued while working for the organisation (DCSF):
The youngest member is 20 years old and in receipt of ill-health retirement (2009). The earliest that members can receive their pension is normally age 50 (55 if they joined after 01/04/2006), however they would receive lower benefits if they claim before they reach pension age. The answer is the youngest age of any member currently receiving a pension from the PCSPS who worked for the department. This includes those members who have claimed payment of their preserved benefits.
With reference to question 6: The number of staff under 55 who began claiming a pension funded by the organisation (DCSF):
| Financial year | 2007–2008 | 2008–2009 | 2009–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of staff under 55 | 30 | 17 | 32 |
This information is from those who retired from the organisation under compulsory or flexible retirement, approved early retirement, age retirement, ill health retirement or partial retirement. The answer is based the members identified for Q2 whose age when they first began claiming a pension was under 55.
With reference to question 7: Of all individuals currently receiving a pension earned from service at the organisation, how many are still working:
| Number of staff still working (partially retired) | 17 |
|---|
The department only holds data for staff in 7a and the numbers are included in the table. We do not hold central data on staff in receipt of civil service pensions who are currently working for the organisation as consultants or any other capacity, as these staff are not permanently employed and are not members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.