Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1362165

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 9 December 2020 to Question 120078, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making funds available to equalise Survivor Pension Benefits for people who are unable to enter into new marriages or co-habit with a partner as a result of the pre-2008 NHS Survivor Pension rules.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	60443
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2021 answer text <p>The NHS Pension Scheme does not provide for the automatic retention of a survivor pension on re-marriage or co-habitation where the Scheme member ceased pensionable employment before 1 April 2008. Arrangements are in place for continuing or restoring a pension if, for example, withdrawal would create severe financial hardship for the recipient.</p><p>Following a review by NHS Pension Scheme stakeholders, changes were made to survivor benefits for Scheme members with service extended to or beyond 1 April 2008, where a survivor pension became payable for life regardless of whether the recipient remarries, forms a civil partnership or lives with someone else as a spouse or partner. The Government’s position remains that benefit entitlements should normally be determined based on the rules applicable at the time the member served, to maintain fairness for active scheme members and the taxpayer.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 26/10/2021 14:19:56 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1380933

	registered interest
	date	22/11/2021
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to question 60443 on NHS: Pensions, what equalities impact assessment his Department has made on the potential effect of not equalising Survivor Pension Benefits rules for people who are unable to enter into new marriages or co-habit with a partner as a result of the pre-2008 NHS Survivor Pension rules without losing their entitlements on pensions for women and men who are seeking to re-marry or co-habit with a new partner.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	79414
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2021 answer text <p>Equality Impact Assessments are regularly performed to facilitate and evidence compliance with Government’s duties under the Equality Act 2010. However, such assessments are not a statutory requirement. The prospective improvements to survivor benefit terms were implemented in 2008 and so was not subject to this process at the time. Equality Impact Assessments are not usually produced where a policy remains unchanged as in this case.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 25/11/2021 10:26:23 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1601862

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2023
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s consultation entitled NHS Pension Scheme: proposed amendments to scheme regulations published on 5 December 2022, when his Department’s response to that consultation will be published.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
	uin	160449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>The Department published its response to the consultation on amendments to the NHS Pension Scheme on 7 March 2023. This is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-pension-scheme-proposed-amendments-to-scheme-regulations/outcome/nhs-pension-scheme-proposed-amendments-to-scheme-regulations-consultation-response" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-pension-scheme-proposed-amendments-to-scheme-regulations/outcome/nhs-pension-scheme-proposed-amendments-to-scheme-regulations-consultation-response</a>.</p><p>Overall, the proposed changes were well received and most of the respondents agreed that they should be implemented. The Department therefore intends to proceed with the proposals it set out.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 14/03/2023 17:54:23 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1506205

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making the NHS Pension Scheme tax unregistered for the purposes of helping to provide predictability for NHS workers undertaking overtime.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	49708
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government is reviewing the interaction between taxation and pensions in the National Health Service. Making the NHS Pension Scheme into a tax-unregistered scheme would not benefit the vast majority of NHS staff, who would lose income tax relief on contributions and the option of a tax-free lump sum on retirement.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 23/09/2022 08:21:26 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1172020

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to devolve increased employer pension contributions to local clinical commissioning groups.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	5429
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>We intend in due course to devolve funding for the increased employer contribution rate in the NHS Pension Scheme although a date has not yet been set. For 2019/20, the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the NHS Business Services Authority agreed a transitional arrangement to distribute the pensions revaluation funding following an increase to the employer contribution rate from 14.38% (inclusive of the 0.08% administration levy) to 20.68% from 1 April 2019.</p><p>The employer contribution cost arrangements for 2020/21 will be confirmed in the 2020/21 Operational Planning Guidance document which will be released towards the end of January 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/01/2020 12:10:14 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1399863

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the temporary suspension under the Coronavirus Act 2020 of the regulations governing the administration of NHS pensions, including the 16 hour rule.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
	uin	98257
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2022 answer text <p>Pension abatement in the National Health Service applies to nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and mental health officers with a retained legacy right to retire at 55 years old without a reduction in their pension. Between the ages of 55 years old and 60 years old, these pensions plus earnings in NHS employment cannot exceed NHS earnings before retirement. The abatement recognises that this a significant benefit not available to other staff in the NHS, including many nurses. Other staff are not subject to abatement after taking their pension.</p><p>The Coronavirus Act 2020 suspended the rule to enable this group of staff to increase their work for the NHS should they wish. It is due to expire on 25 March with other provisions, including the 16 hour rule. These staff can continue working for the NHS, typically at least half time. The 16 hour rule limits the amount of NHS work that can be done in the first month after returning from retirement, with no restriction thereafter. However, the Department will keep this under review.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 10/01/2022 10:13:42 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1438542

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost to the Exchequer has been of the retire and return easements for NHS pensions since March 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Ilford North
	tabling member printed	Wes Streeting
	uin	135580
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The easement which could potentially have an associated cost is the abatement of pensions, where the value of the pension plus earnings on returning to work does not exceed earnings before the pension was taken. The vast majority of staff are not subject to abatement after taking their pension, which applies to ‘special class’ staff with the right to take an unreduced pension at 55 years old, who return to work between the ages of 55 and 60 years old. In general, this staff group reduce their working hours or do not return to employment in order to avoid their pension being abated, therefore these easements increase the amount of work they are able to offer with little to no cost to the Exchequer.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 135581 question first answered 14/03/2022 09:58:44 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4504 label Biography information for Wes Streeting

1399865

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent representations he has received from the Welsh Government on extending the temporary suspension under the Coronavirus Act 2020 of the regulations governing the administration of NHS pensions, including the 16 hour rule.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
	uin	98258
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2022 answer text <p>While we have not received any formal representations from the Welsh Government we continue to have a regular discussions on a range of matters relating to the NHS Pension Scheme.</p><p>The measures were designed to support the National Health Service in responding to the pandemic. Pension abatement in the NHS applies to nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and mental health officers with a retained legacy right to retire at 55 years old without a reduction in their pension. Between the ages of 55 and 60 years old, their pension plus earnings in NHS employment cannot exceed their NHS earnings before retirement. The abatement recognises that they have a significant benefit not available to other staff in the NHS including many nurses. Other staff are not subject to abatement after taking their pension.</p><p>This rule was suspended as part of the Coronavirus Act 2020 to enable this group of staff to increase their work for the NHS should they wish. It is due to expire on 25 March 2022 with the other provisions of the Act, including the 16 hour rule. These staff will still be able to continue working for the NHS, typically at least half time. The 16 hour rule limits the amount of NHS work that can be done in the first month after returning from retirement, with no restriction thereafter. However, the Department will keep this under review.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 11/01/2022 12:43:21 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1403593

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on updating pension taxation rules for working hours for NHS staff pensions and before 24 March 2022.
	tabling member constituency	St Albans
	tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
	uin	105743
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>The pension measures in Section 45 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 allow retired and partially retired staff to return to work or increase their working commitments without the risk of having their pension benefits suspended.</p><p>Since March 2020, the 16 hour rule, abatement of ‘Special Class’ members of the 1995 Section - staff with the reserved right to retire at 55 years old without an actuarial reduction - and abatement of draw down members in the 2008 Section and 2015 Scheme have been suspended. Abatement recognises that ‘Special Class’ members have a significant benefit not available to other staff in the National Health Service. Once abatement is resumed, staff will still be able to continue working for the NHS, typically at least half time. Other staff are not subject to abatement after taking their pension.</p><p>These measures are set to expire on 24 March 2022, with the NHS Pension Scheme rules returning to business as usual arrangements. However, the Department will keep this under review. While there have been no formal discussions, we continue to have a regular dialogue with HM Treasury officials on a range of matters relating to the NHS Pension Scheme.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 24/01/2022 14:35:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1471046

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2022
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) the impact of (i) rising inflation and (ii) CPI value on pension taxation for NHS workers and (b) the potential impact of such pension taxation increases on the retention of senior NHS workers.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
	uin	19735
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2022 answer text <p>The NHS Pension Scheme protects pensions in payment by increasing them by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and revalues accrued career-average pension benefits by CPI plus 1.5% each year. A higher rate of revaluation will increase the size of pensions and may therefore increase annual allowance pension tax liability in a situation where inflation is increasing. However, when inflation reduces in the subsequent tax year, this may increase the scope for more pension growth before exceeding the annual allowance that year.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of National Health Service staff build their pension tax-free. Where pension tax allowances are breached, it is not required to pay the tax charge in advance. The Scheme Pays facility allows staff to meet any annual allowance charge from their pension instead. As an individual may retire or alter their working commitments for a number of reasons, it is not possible to assess the specific impact.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/06/2022 16:01:23 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark