Teachers' Superannuation (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2003 <br />(SSI 2003/423)
We move to the second item on the agenda, which is consideration of a piece of subordinate legislation. We are joined for this item by Christine Marr from the Scottish Executive Finance and Central Services Department, who looks a little isolated at the end of the table. The regulations are impenetrable—as always—and I ask Christine to spend a few moments explaining them to us.
The Treasury funds all public service pensions, including teachers' pensions, and used to pay for increases in teachers' pensions from a separate budget. However, the Scottish teachers' superannuation scheme must now bear the costs of any such increase, which means that it is necessary to increase the rate of employers' contributions. Now that responsibility for bearing the cost of those increases lies with the scheme, the regulations introduce a new accounting procedure.
It has been suggested that some outside organisations, such as independent schools, will incur extra costs because of the regulations.
I understand that that suggestion has been made.
Is that an issue?
No. We have already been providing a free administration service for independent schools.
As there are no more questions on this item, I ask the committee whether it wishes to do anything further with the regulations. They have been made under the negative procedure, which means that they will remain in force unless we take positive action to stop them. I do not think that there is any move to do that. Are members agreed?
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