SPCB Written Question · S2W-01859 · Session 2
What powers the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has to amend, withhold or remove a staff member's entitlement to pension benef…
The question
To ask the Presiding Officer what powers the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has to amend, withhold or remove a staff member's entitlement to pension benefits from Civil Service pension funds; to which pension funds these powers apply, and in what circumstances such powers would be exercised.
The answer
The SPCB does not have any powers to amend, withhold or remove a staff member’s entitlement to pension benefits from Civil Service pension funds as these powers are held by the Minister for Civil Service.
All staff of the SPCB are eligible for membership of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme. Under the rules of the scheme the Minister for the Civil Service has the power to withhold pension benefits in prescribed circumstances. These circumstances include:
conviction of treason; or
conviction of an offence under the Official Secrets Act resulting in aterm of imprisonment of at least 10 years; or
conviction of an employement-related offence which is certified by aMinister of the Crown either to have been gravely injurious to the state or tobe liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service.
The rules also provide the member of staff with the right of appeal to the Civil Service Appeal Board. Forfeiture of pension benefits is not undertaken lightly and there have been just seven cases since the pension scheme was introduced in 1972. In the majority of these cases only a proportion of pension benefits were withheld.
All staff of the SPCB are eligible for membership of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme. Under the rules of the scheme the Minister for the Civil Service has the power to withhold pension benefits in prescribed circumstances. These circumstances include:
conviction of treason; or
conviction of an offence under the Official Secrets Act resulting in aterm of imprisonment of at least 10 years; or
conviction of an employement-related offence which is certified by aMinister of the Crown either to have been gravely injurious to the state or tobe liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service.
The rules also provide the member of staff with the right of appeal to the Civil Service Appeal Board. Forfeiture of pension benefits is not undertaken lightly and there have been just seven cases since the pension scheme was introduced in 1972. In the majority of these cases only a proportion of pension benefits were withheld.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S2W-01859 by reference.