To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average contribution from gross pay was by individual police officers towards pension funds in the latest period for which figures are available. (140886)

The information requested is not held centrally. Police officers contribute either 11 per cent. or 9.5 per cent. of their pensionable pay depending on whether they are members of the Police Pension Scheme 1987 or the Police Pension Scheme 2006 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average lump sum pension payment was to (a) female and (b) male police officers in the latest period for which figures are available; (140887)

The information requested about the average size of a pension lump sum is not held centrally. Under the Police Pension Scheme 1987 a lump sum is not paid out automatically but only where the officer chooses to convert (commute) part of his or her pension into a lump sum. The size of a lump sum depends on the officer’s pensionable pay, his or her length of pensionable service, the proportion of pension that the officer chooses to commute, and the commutation factor to be applied to the surrendered portion of pension in order to convert it into a lump sum.

The Police Pensions Regulations 1987 require that the lump sum be determined as the actuarial equivalent of the surrendered portion of the pension at the date of retirement, calculated from tables prepared by the Government Actuary. The commutation factors used for the 1987 Scheme are graduated according to the age and gender of the officer concerned in order to reflect the fact that, on average, women live longer than men and younger people have a longer remaining life expectancy than older people. Pension scheme actuarial factors are exempted from the legal requirements for sex and age equality.