Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018 to Question 176323 on Teachers: Pensions, which employers excluding (a) state-funded schools and (b) further education providers will be required to increase employer contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme; what assessment has he made of the effect of those contributions on the financial viability of those employers; and what the timeframe is for the consultation to conclude.

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme covers a range of institutions including schools (maintained schools and academies), further education (FE) providers obliged to offer the teachers’ pension scheme, some higher education institutions, independent schools, and a number of small voluntary providers that opt into the scheme.

The Department proposes to provide funding to schools, including state-funded, non-maintained special schools and independent special schools, for the increased costs resulting from the changes to the valuation of pension schemes. Funding is also proposed for those FE providers obliged to offer the teachers’ pension scheme, including general further education colleges, sixth form colleges, designated institutions (including the new designated institutions that form part of higher education institution group structures), specialist post-16 institutions and adult & community learning providers (local authority provision).

The Department will shortly run a public consultation to seek views on this and understand better the impact of the proposed changes to decide what action should be taken.