My statement to the House on 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 49WS, announced that the Local Government Pension Scheme Policy Review Group, with the assistance of the Government Actuary’s Department, had been asked to undertake a fresh costings exercise of extending the current levels of protection in the scheme, following the removal of the Rule of 85, using 2007 actuarial valuation data. An announcement will be made as soon as the current work is completed.
As Ministers have consistently made clear, to maintain the scheme’s viability and to meet the Government’s policy of ensuring no adverse effects on taxpayers, the costs of any amendments to improve the level of protections would need to be provided from within the scheme, and be affordable and legal.