Written question asked by David Anderson (Labour) on Monday, 28 March 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 March 2011. It was answered by Robert Neill (Conservative) on Monday, 4 April 2011 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Fire Services: Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effects on fire service pension schemes of the recommendations of the Independent Public Sector Pensions Commission.

Answer: The final report of the Independent Public Service Pension Commission was published by Lord Hutton on 10 March 2011. The report set out 27 recommendations to reform public service pensions so that public service employees can have access to good quality, sustainable and affordable pensions, which are fair to both public sector workers and the taxpayer.These recommendations included a move to career average pension schemes, the protection of accrued rights, greater transparency and oversight, and the linking of scheme retirement ages to the state pension age. For the uniformed services, including firefighters, Lord Hutton recommended that a retirement age of 60 would be more appropriate, inline with the current New Firefighters Pension Scheme (2006) rules.At the Budget the Chancellor accepted Lord Hutton's recommendations as a basis for consultation with public sector workers, trades unions and others, recognising that the position of the uniformed services will require particularly careful consideration. The Government will then set out proposals in the autumn that are affordable, sustainable and fair to both the public sector work force and the taxpayer.

Secondary information