Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the length of time a person has to be assessed as being incapacitated by long covid before complying with the provisions on early payment of retirement pensions on the grounds of ill-health of section 35 of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013; and if he will make a statement.

The current regulations and guidance on ill-health retirement benefits in the Local Government Pension Scheme do not specify medical conditions or any period of ill-health before a member is eligible. The employer must appoint an Independent Registered Medical Practitioner to assess how long the member is unlikely to be capable of undertaking gainful employment, in light of their particular medical condition. It is the responsibility of the employer to decide if the member qualifies for an ill-health pension in the light of the assessment.