NHS: Pensions Steve Webb To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the administration costs of the NHS Pension scheme were in each of the last 10 years. Ann Keen The information is shown in the following table. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Year ending 31 March |Administration costs (£ million)| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2000 |15.4 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2001 |17.1 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2002 |18.9 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2003 |19.4 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2004 |19.6 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2005 |23.0 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2006 |27.6 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2007 |23.5 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2008 |21.5 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2009 |21.2 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Note:In 2004, the Student Grants Unit (SGU) merged with NHS Pensions to become one strategic health authority, and the SGU admin costs are included in the figures for years ending 2005 and 2006. The SGU was then separated out again once NHS Pensions became part of the NHS Business Services Authority.Source:NHS Pensions| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Webb To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff started claiming their pension from the NHS Pension scheme before the scheme's normal retirement age in each of the last five years for which figures are available. Ann Keen The information available is shown in the following table. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Year ending 31 March |Age |Ill-health|Redundancy|Agreed voluntary early retirement (AVER)|Voluntary early retirement (VER)| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2004 |14,259|3,374 |760 |— |— | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2005 |15,497|2,954 |531 |— |— | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2006 |16,004|2,590 |410 |62 |1,597 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2007 |19,415|2,422 |891 |195 |3,107 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2008 |21,078|2,201 |940 |138 |3,216 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Note:Data on AVER and VER was not collected separately until the year ending 2006 Source:NHS Pensions| | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------