Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Public Service Pensions: Firefighters' Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2022, when she plans to publish further guidance on ensuring that fire fighters are paid their full pension entitlement.

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) which received Royal Assent on 10 March, established 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 for firefighters’ 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 Local Government Association are developing supporting material that will allow scheme members to make an informed choice about their pension options at the point they retire.