Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service retirement statistics: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for the following information:

Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) I request the following recorded information held by the SPPA for the period 1 January 2015 to the most recent full year:

1) For each financial year (e.g., 2015/16, 2016/17, etc.) and separately for (a) police officers and (b) firefighters:
a. The number of officers/firefighters who retired on ill-health grounds.
b. The number of officers/firefighters who were granted injury-on-duty awards (or equivalent injury benefit) and retired as a result of injury.
c. Of those in (b), the number whose payment commencement was delayed or suspended because of consideration of the McCloud/Sargeant pension remedy (or any internal delay linked to the remedy).
d. Of those in (b), the number who have been issued a “Remediable Service Statement” (or equivalent document) in respect of the McCloud/Sargeant remedy.

2) Please provide the definitions used for each category (ill-health retirement, injury award, delayed payment due to McCloud).

3) If any of the above data are not held exactly in the form requested, please provide them in the closest available format and explain any differences.If any part of the information is exempt, please specify the exemption(s) and provide reasons including any public interest  test applied.

Response

1(a)      Police   Fire
2015     91        20
2016     93        20
2017     71        17
2018     86        9
2019     71       14
2020     49       12
2021     26        3
2022     49        9
2023     89        8
2024     44        4

1(b) Injury on Duty – Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service hold this information as they instruct SPPA to implement payments once approved by the relevant authority. The IOD can only be calculated once the Gross Pension being put into payment is known.

1(c) None will be delayed, the initial IOD will be calculated just to get a payment into place. Any change in salary, gross pension (including remedy) or relevant DWP benefits after the initial award of IOD would result in a revision of the calculation.

1(d) As at 3/11/2025 SPPA note the following Injury Benefits have been issued to Police pensioners.
To date, zero have been issued for Fire pensioners.

2015/16	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/22	2022/2023	2023/2024
3	8	5	10	6	3	2	4	0

2/3 Definitions will be documented as part of the regulations:
The Police (Injury Benefit) (Scotland) Regulations 2007

The Firefighters' Compensation Scheme (Scotland) Order 2006

The Firefighters' Compensation Scheme (Scotland) Order 2006

About FOI

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