To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cash equivalent transfer value of pensions accrued by (a) special advisers and (b) press officers in Government; and if he will make a statement. (224257)

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Under the Model Contract for Special Advisers, special advisers appointed from October 2002 are entitled to the same pension choices as civil servants. Civil servants, including departmental press officers, have the choice of joining the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) or opting for a stakeholder pension with an employer contribution. Copies of the Model Contract and the rules of the PCSPS are available in the Libraries of the House.