asked the Prime Minister what principles govern the decision as to whether permanent secretaries should retire at the age of 60 years or be retained in service.

Permanent secretaries, with the exception of the Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor, where special arrangements apply, retire, as do other staff in the Open Structure, at the end of the month in which they reach the age of 60 years. In exceptional cases where there is advantage to the public service, they may be retained for a limited period.