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Civil Service: Retirement

Volume 715: debated on Tuesday 15 December 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average age of retirement in the Civil Service in each department, excluding the senior Civil Service. [HL500]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, National Statistician, to Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, dated December 2009

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what is the average age of retirement in the Civil Service in each department, excluding the senior Civil Service. (HL500).

The Office for National Statistics collects data on leavers from the Civil Service as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES). The requested data are attached at Annex A.

Annex A

Civil Service employment: average age of retirement by department (excluding Senior Civil Service)1

Permanent employees

Years

31 March 2008

Average age of retirement2

Attorney General’s departments

Crown Prosecution Service

59

Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate

-

Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers

..

Serious Fraud Office

..

Treasury Solicitor

..

Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office

..

Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (excl agencies)3

61

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service

60

Companies House

+

Insolvency Service

60

Office of Fair Trading

60

Office of Gas and Electricity Market

..

Postal Services Commission

-

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office excl agencies

60

Other Cabinet Office agencies

Central Office of Information

58

National School of Government

60

Office of the Parliamentary Counsel

-

Charity Commission

Charity Commission

63

Children, Schools and Families

Department for Children, Schools and Families3

+

Communities and Local Government

Department for Communities and Local Governments3

60

Fire Service College

62

Ordnance Survey

60

Planning Inspectorate

60

Queen Elizabeth Il Conference Centre

..

Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture Media and Sports3

60

Royal Parks

..

Defence

Ministry of Defence

60

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

-

Army Base Repair Organisation

64

Defence Aviation Repair Agency

64

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

60

Meteorological Office

+

UK Hydrographic Office

..

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs3

60

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

59

Central Science Laboratory

..

Government Decontamination Services

-

Marine Fisheries Agency

60

OFWAT

..

Pesticides Safety Directorate

..

Rural Payments Agency

60

Animal Health

60

Veterinary Laboratories Agency

60

Veterinary Medicines Directorate

..

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Export Credit Guarantee Department

+

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excl agencies)

+

Wilton Park Executive Agency

-

Health

Department of Health (excl agencies)

+

Food Standards Agency

61

Meat Hygiene Service

61

Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

60

National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies

..

NHS Business Services Authority

..

HM Revenue and Customs

HM Revenue and Customs

60

Valuation Office

+

HM Treasury

HM Treasury

56

Chancellor’s other departments

Debt Management Office

..

Government Actuary’s Department

..

National Savings and Investments

..

Office of Government Commerce

-

OGC Buying Solutions

60

Office for National Statistics''

58

Royal Mint

60

Home Office

Home office (excl agencies)3

60

Criminal Records Bureau

..

Identity and Passport Service

62

Border and Immigration Agency

60

Innovation, Universities and Skills

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills

+

National Weights and Measures Laboratory

61

UK Intellectual Property Office

61

International Development

Department for International Development

+

Justice

Ministry of Justice (excl agencies)

58

HM Courts Service

60

Land Registry

60

National Archives

60

Public Guardianship Office

..

Tribunals Service

60

Scotland Office

..

Wales Office

-

Public Sector Prison Service

60

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office

63

Ofsted

Ofsted

60

Security and Intelligence Services

Security and Intelligence Services

57

Transport

Department for Transport3

60

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

57

Driving Standards Agency

62

Government Car and Despatch Agency

+

Highways Agency

60

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

60

Office of Rail Regulation

..

Vehicle Certification Agency

..

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

60

Work and Pensions

DWP Corporate and Shared Services

58

Jobcentre Plus

59

Disability and Carers Service

59

Pension Service

55

Child Support Agency

59

The Health and Safety Executive

60

The Rent Service

57

Scottish Government

Scottish Government (excl agencies)

60

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

57

Courts Group

+

Communities Scotland

60

Fisheries Research Services

..

General Register Scotland

59

HM Inspectorate of Education

60

Historic Scotland

+

Mental Health Tribunal Scotland

-

National Archive for Scotland

..

Office of Accountant in Bankruptcy

..

Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator

-

Registers of Scotland

58

Scottish Agricultural Scientific Agency

61

Scottish Buildings Standards Agency

..

Scottish Court Service

61

Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency

60

Scottish Prison Service

55

Scottish Public Pensions Agency

..

Social Work Inspection Agency

..

Student Awards Agency

-

Transport Scotland

..

Welsh Assembly

Welsh Assembly Government

60

ESTN

..

All employees

60

Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES).

1 Counts of less than five are represented by “..”. Data not available are represented by “-” Due to concerns surrounding data quality estimates of average age of retirement have been suppressed for a number of departments and represented by “+”

2 Average age based on the median.

3 Includes Government Office for the Regions employees.

4 Figures of the Office for National Statistics exclude field staff who were not civil servants at the reference date.

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average age of retirement in the senior Civil Service in each department. [HL501]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, National Statistician, to Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, dated December 2009.

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what is the average age of retirement in the senior civil service in each department. (HL501).

The Office for National Statistics collects data on leavers from the Civil Service as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES). The requested data are attached at Annex A.

Annex A

Civil Service Employment: Average retirement age of Senior Civil Service (SCS) by Government Department1

Permanent Employees

Years

Department

Average age of retirement2

31 March 2008

Animal Health

..

Attorney General’s Office

..

Border and Immigration Agency

..

Cabinet Office (excl agencies)

..

Central Office of Information

..

Charity Commission

..

Courts Group

..

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

..

Crown Prosecution Service

..

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

..

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (excl agencies)3

..

Department for Children, Schools and Families3

58

Department for Communities and Local Government (excl agencies)3

59

Department for Culture Media and Sport

..

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (excl agencies)3

..

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills

..

Department for International Development

..

Department for Transport (excl agencies)3

..

Department of Health (excl agencies)

56

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

..

DWP Corporate Services

58

ESTYN

..

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excl agencies)

55

Highways Agency

..

HM Courts Service

..

HM Revenue and Customs

59

HM Treasury

..

Home Office (excl agencies)3

58

Job Centre Plus

..

Land Registry

..

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

..

Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

..

Ministry of Defence

57

Ministry of Justice (excl agencies)

..

National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies

..

National School of Government

..

National Weights and Measures Laboratory

..

Office for National Statistics4

..

Office for Standards in Education

..

Office of Fair Trading

..

Office of Gas and Electricity Market

..

Ordnance Survey

..

Parliamentary Counsel Office

..

Pension Service

..

Public Sector Prison Service

..

Scottish Government (excl agencies)

57

The Health and Safety Executive

..

Treasury Solicitor

..

UK Intellectual Property Office

..

Valuation Office

..

Veterinary Laboratories Agency

..

Welsh Assembly Government

50

Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey

1 Counts of less than 5 are represented by “..”

2 Average age based on the median.

3 Includes Government Office for the Regions employees.

4 Figures for the Office for National Statistics exclude field staff who were not civil servants at the reference date.