FOI Request
- Disclosure ID
- FOI/03289
- Request Date
- August 29, 2019
- Subject
- Pension Tax Relief
- Description
1). Whether your organisation has a policy of offering payment equivalent to the employer pension fund contributions to employees who opt out of the scheme? And if so:
a) when was this policy adopted?
b) is this option offered to all employees by default, or is it considered on a case by case basis following requests?
c) how many employees have taken advantage of this policy since its adoption?
d) what was the total value of payments made until the end of July 2019?
2). Whether your organisation has made an assessment of the number of employees who are likely breach the annual allowance? If so, what assessment was made?
3). How many employees have left employment as a result of pension taxation issues?
4). How many employees have applied to reduce their working hours as a result of pension taxation issues? And how many such applications were successful?
5). Whether an internal briefing or assessment on the impact of changes to pension taxation has been provided? If so, could a copy of that document be provided?
- Response
1). No, this Trust has not adopted this approach.
2). The NHS Pensions Agency review high earners and contact them directly – we do not undertake that assessment.
3). We are not aware of any who have left with the specific reason being the taxation issue.
4). As with the question above – too difficult to determine. There are many factors including health and well-being that are prevalent in the decision making to reduce hours, incl age.
5). There have been pension awareness sessions provided by the BMA and other Organisations to members, including NHS Employers and NHS Pensions via websites. All Staff have access to one or all of the media channels. When further discussions are held between NHS Employers, the NHS Pensions Agency and the Govt, and appropriate decisions have been made, we, as will other Trusts will send out a Communication to All Staff, not just identified high earners. This is because we are not in a position to know what additional earnings our Staff have irrespective of Grade.