Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the current recommended age of retirement for firefighters.

Brandon Lewis

[Holding Reply: Monday 31 March 2014]

An independent review for the Firefighters’ Pension Committee in 2013 found that, under current practices, firefighters would be operationally fit at age 60 if they maintain a physically active and healthy lifestyle. One in three members of a firefighters’ pension scheme is in the New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2006, which already has a Normal Pension Age of 60. The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 set the Normal Pension Age for the reformed firefighters’ pension scheme to be age 60 from 2015, in line with the recommendation from Lord Hutton’s independent report.

A firefighter with a full career earning £29,000 will be able to retire at age 60 with a pension of £19,000 per annum. Firefighters will be able to retire before the scheme’s Normal Pension Age with an actuarial reduction.