Dear Brother/Sister
You may be aware that as part of the ongoing discussions around proposed employee contributions for firefighter pensions the Government at Westminster committed to review of the risks of opt-outs (i.e. members choosing to leave the pension scheme) which might result from increased employee contributions.
This has included a series of forums where firefighters of all roles and duty systems were invited to discuss the 2015 proposals and the proposed employee contribution increase.
These forums took place during August and September in London, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Northern Ireland and were coordinated by Research Works on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG).
The full report of the forums is now available to read and download.
We had previously discussed the forums with CLG and had made suggestions on the process although it must be understood that this is a CLG exercise.
The report attempts to divide the responses into differing groupings including; 1992 scheme members; 2006 scheme members; RDS members; and union activists. It compares the differing responses from each group. The questions that were posed and the schedule for the forums are provided from page 79 of the document and an overview of the information that was given to the forum is attached from page 84.
The majority of the document is made up of a series of verbatim quotes from scheme members in response to the specific question posed. Research Works were very keen to point out that these responses are what the individual believed to be true and are therefore not always factually correct.
You will see from the report that a range of views were identified although there was clearly considerable concern at the proposed increases in contributions and particularly, at the proposed increase in Normal Pension Age (NPA).
The report highlights the potential for opt-outs to increase. It highlights the concerns of pension scheme members regarding the link between NPA and the occupational demands of firefighting.
We will now discuss this report with CLG and other Government officials along with the other evidence currently being collated.
Best wishes.
Yours fraternally
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
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