Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when will she publish the guidance necessary for calculating the correct pension entitlement for retiring police officers.

The Government is taking steps to remove discrimination on the grounds of age, associated with the transitional protection arrangements linked to the 2015 pension reforms, which was subsequently identified by the courts.

The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act (PSPJOA) received Royal Assent on 10 March, establishing the legal framework to provide this remedy. The Police and Firefighters’ Pension Schemes (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (‘the Regulations’) provided the first, prospective, element of the remedy in respect of police pensions.

The second, retrospective, part of the remedy is more complex and will require further detailed changes to scheme regulations using the powers in the PSPJOA. These changes will be in force by 1 October 2023, in line with the Government’s commitments under that Act.

The Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council are developing supporting material that will allow scheme members to make an informed choice about their pension options at the point they retire.