May 30th, 2011 | 
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Following the recent government proposals to change public sector pensions, there have been objections raised from all corners – particularly teachers, civil servants, lecturers and women in their fifties who will be most affected – but now MP’s have joined the fray, accusing the Treasury of taking their time putting a cap in place. They have also questioned whether the affordability of pensions is realistic, as it seems to be based on perception, rather than official data.
Ministers at the Committee of Public Accounts criticised the way the Treasury have put off bringing in cost-sharing and capping, which was supposed to be implemented in 2007 and would have meant members would be making larger contributions to their pensions – with a cap also being introduced. This idea has also been brought in alongside badly-received plans to increase state pension age before the date originally specified.
The scheme was meant to save over £67billion over the next fifty years, by bringing the public cost of pensions of those affected – NHS workers, teachers and civil servants – to one percent of the UK GDP. A massive sixty percent of that saving would be put down to the capping and cost-sharing plans. However, these ideas have yet to see the light of day, having hit delays from the Treasury’s discount rate review, and look likely to be held back as the government look into recommendation suggested in the Hutton review.
Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, Margaret Hodge, pointed out that the delay would only undermine the government’s claims that pension costs are being slashed. Ms Hodge also said that the Treasury had not given any ‘benchmark’ figures to back themselves up when it came to the question of pension affordability, adding that ‘we would, however, encourage the Treasury to publish a clear measure or benchmark of affordability which indicates the level of spending on public service pensions it considers sustainable.’ In her report, she also commented that affordability was defined on ‘public perception’ rather that ‘judgement on the cost in relation to either GDP or total public spending.’
General Secretary for the National Union of Teachers, Christine Blower, was in favour of the criticisms, agreeing with the ministers exercising their right to disagree with the government, when it seems they haven’t even considered what the nation can afford. Ms Blower was herself critical of the government, saying ‘this is a policy based on nothing short of false assumption and spin.’
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