Police/Firefighters pension transfer to another scheme: FOI release

Information requested

Clarification on your earlier request, FOI 202400394388, specifically:

1. Is this the numbers in the ‘transfer out’ table i.e. there are only small numbers who transfer their police/firefighters pension ‘pot’ to another scheme?

2. Are the majority of people included in the ‘all cases including transfers in’ table therefore people who transferred into the police/firefighters pension scheme from another scheme when they joined the forces?

3. Am I correct in thinking that the numbers in both of these tables are not included in the numbers in the table of paid pensioners that was requested in FOI/202200278069?

Response

1. Is this the numbers in the ‘transfer out’ table i.e. there are only small numbers who transfer their police/firefighters pension ‘pot’ to another scheme?

Yes. Administratively, every piece of work on a member’s record has code attached to it, known as a case. The ‘transfer out’ table is a count of all cases where a member has applied to transfer their pension ‘pot’ out of the scheme to another scheme.

2. Are the majority of people included in the ‘all cases including transfers in’ table therefore people who transferred into the police/firefighters pension scheme from another scheme when they joined the forces?

No, the majority is not people who transferred in. This table does include people who have transferred into the scheme. It also includes people who have asked for:

• transfer estimates,
• requested their pension value for divorce purposes, and;
• submitted general transfer enquiries.

3. Am I correct in thinking that the numbers in both of these tables are not included in the numbers in the table of paid pensioners that was requested in FOI/202200278069?

FOI/202200278069 considered only pensioner members.

Yes, you are correct for the most part in thinking that the transfer out table will not include members from this FOI. This is because pensioner members cannot transfer benefits in payment out of the scheme. There may however be a small proportion of members who transferred benefits out, and are therefore included in this table, but then re-joined the scheme before retiring.

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