Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of (a) pension taxation and (b) the freezing of the lifetime allowance on early retirement rates of senior NHS workers.
The decision to claim payment of pension is an individual one. The NHS Pension Scheme does not require members to give a reason at the point of claim. It is therefore difficult to determine the specific factors that contribute to early retirements.
The Department continues to have a regular dialogue with HM Treasury on a range of matters relating to the NHS Pension Scheme.