Public service pension schemes (FOI)Public service pension schemes (FOI)
Produced by the Freedom of Information officeAuthored by Government of Jersey and published on
02 September 2021.Prepared internally, no external costs.
Request
Please supply the following information for States Employees for 2019 and 2020
A
States employees and employer pension contribution percentages.
B
Confirm final pensions paid out now based on “Average Annual Salaries” over career in the States (apart from earlier ones based on final salaries).
C
Supply annual cost of 'B' above, including the number of States employees and total subsidy cost in each year (being the estimated subsidy required between a normal money purchase scheme and the actual amounts paid out in total for all those States employees in the group)
D
Supply the number of States employees currently employed, and still on the old “Final Salary” pensions, plus cost of pension subsidy to date in total, and cost of anticipated pensions over rest of estimated lives when they retire.
E
Supply the total estimated subsidies given by States for retired states employees on Final Salary Pensions
a) over their working lives and
b) over their estimated retirements, showing number in the group and totals forgGroup
Response
A
The public service pension schemes are funded schemes. Employers and employees make contributions as a percentage of salaries into the schemes. The contribution rates into the schemes are as follows:
Scheme | Regulations | Employee Contribution Rate | Employer Contribution Rate |
| PEPF Final Salary Scheme | 1967 Regulations | 6% | 16% |
| PEPF Final Salary Scheme | Former Hospital Scheme | 6% | 16% |
| PEPF Final Salary Scheme | Existing Members Regulations | 6.25% | 16% |
| PEPF Final Salary Scheme | New Members Regulations | 5% | 16% |
| PEPF Career Average Scheme | Ordinary Members | 7.75% | 16% |
| PEPF Career Average Scheme | Uniformed Members | 10.10% | 16% |
| Jersey Teachers Superannuation Fund | Existing Members | 6% | 16.4% (of which 5.6% allocated to repay pension increase liability) |
| Jersey Teachers Superannuation Fund | New Members | 5% | 16.4% (of which 5.6% allocated to repay pension increase liability) |
B
The public service pension funds publish annual reports which outline the pensions paid out. The 2020 PEPF annual report (page 44) shows the value of benefits paid out to pensioners in the Carer Average Scheme was £572,000. As information is publicly available on www.gov.je Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.
PEPF annual report
C
The public service pension schemes are not balance of cost schemes. The Employer contribution rates required are defined in Regulations. In the event that the pension funds have a deficit the pension increases are reduced and the Employer does not pay any subsidy.
D
The Jersey Teachers Superannuation Fund is a Final Salary pension scheme and the number of members contributing (1,254 employees) is shown on page 11 of the published 2020 JTSF Annual Report. As information is publicly available on www.gov.je Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.
Jersey Teachers Superannuation Fund
The overwhelming majority of active members of the Public Employees’ Pension Fund are accumulating future benefits in the Career Average Scheme. At the end of 2020, 476 PEPF members closest to retirement were accumulating service in the final salary scheme.
E
The Government is required to pay the employer contribution rates defined in regulations and does not pay any subsidy. The value of employer contributions and membership numbers are publicly available in the published Annual Reports.
Article applied
Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means
(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.
(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.
gov.je