Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has any plans to introduce a mandatory retirement age for prison officers.

There are no plans to introduce a mandatory retirement age for prison officers.

For Government to consider introducing a mandatory pension age would require a change to legislation and as the Civil Service Pension covers a number of government departments and agencies, any legislative change to the scheme would affect all members of the Civil Service Pension and not just prison officers.

Members of the Civil Service Pension scheme are able to apply for retirement at any time after reaching the age of 55. However, their pension would be actuarially reduced to take into account the fact that their pension benefits would be paid for longer due to taking early retirement.

Introducing a mandatory retirement age for prison officers could lead to potential age discrimination claims being brought against the service.