Is enough being done to support police wellbeing? What progress has been made in putting right previous age discrimination in police pensions?
The Home Affairs Committee will examine police wellbeing and remedial action dealing with police pensions in an evidence session on Wednesday 22 May.
Meeting details
In 2018, a Court of Appeal judgment found there had been age discrimination in transitional measures introduced to protect members of public service pensions schemes following changes to them in 2014 and 2015. To remedy the discrimination which had already happened, most schemes allow affected members to choose whether they were part of the old or new scheme during the relevant period. The National Police Chiefs’ Council says that over 120,000 pension scheme members will need to be provided with a Remedial Service Statement by 1 April 2025 setting out their options so they can make the right pensions choice for them.
The evidence session will look at progress so far in implementing the scheme designed to remedy that discrimination. It will examine emotional and financial impacts on those scheme members who are waiting to find out their entitlements, and ask what more – if anything – can be done.
The session will also address police wellbeing more widely. A 2023 survey carried out by the Police Federation of England and Wales revealed high levels of stress and low morale among respondents. There are concerns around the pressures officers are placed under, with two thirds of respondents to the Policing: the Job & the Life Survey reporting mental health issues caused by police work. The year ending March 2023 has also seen the number of police officer leavers reach a twenty year high.
In this session, the committee will look at what is being done to support mental health and improve wellbeing among police officers and staff. It will examine if current support on offer is fit for purpose and investigate where improvement can be made.