Pension payments (FOI)

Request 

What are the 10 highest pensions paid, per annum, in respect of the Public Employees Contributory Retirement Scheme (PECRS) and the Jersey Teachers Superannuation Fund (JTSF)? Information should be provided on an anonymised basis. How many retired members of the above schemes are receiving pensions above £60,000 per annum? For clarity the information required is for persons currently drawing their pension in each scheme / fund.

Response 

The Government of Jersey administers two public service pension funds – the Public Employees Pension Fund (PEPF) and Jersey Teachers Superannuation Fund (JTSF).

The Public Employees Pension Fund (PEPF) comprises of a Career Average Scheme known as the Public Employees Pension Scheme (PEPS) and a Final Salary Scheme known as the Public Employees Contributory Retirement Scheme (PECRS).

The Final Salary Scheme (PECRS) was closed to new entrants at the end of 2015 and over 7,000 public servants are now accruing pensions based on career average earnings within the Career Average Scheme (PEPS).

Career Average Scheme (PEPS)

The 10 largest pensions in payment in the Career Average Scheme (PEPS) range from £3,500 to £10,200 per annum.

Final Salary Scheme (PECRS)

Pensions from the Final Salary Scheme (PECRS) are based on length of service and final salary.

There are 118 members who are receiving a pension above £60,000 per annum, this equates to 2% of the total pensioner membership.

The 10 largest pensions in payment in the Final Salary Scheme (PECRS) range from £107,000 to £143,000 per annum.

JTSF Final Salary Scheme

The 10 largest pensions in the JTSF Final Salary Scheme range from £49,000 to £79,000 per annum.

Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied to this response as providing more detailed information, if compared to what has previously been published, could result in the identification of individuals.

Article applied

Article 25 - Personal information

(1)  Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2)  Information is absolutely exempt information if – (a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and (b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law. 

(3)   In determining for the purposes of this Article whether the lawfulness principle in Article 8(1)(a) of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 would be contravened by the disclosure of information, paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 2 to that Law (legitimate interests) is to be read as if sub-paragraph (b) (which disapplies the provision where the controller is a public authority) were omitted.