Guidance
Advice to the Gambling Commission on a statutory levy
A paper by the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling advising the Gambling Commission on a statutory levy
Retirement benefits
The following disclosures are made in accordance with IAS 19, 'Employee Benefits'.
Employees
The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) and the Civil Servant and Other Pension Scheme (CSOPS) – known as ‘alpha’ – are unfunded multi-employer defined benefit schemes, but the Gambling Commission is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities.
The scheme actuary valued the PCSPS as at 31 March 2016. You can find details in the resource accounts of the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation annual account 2021 to 2022 (opens in new tab).
For 2022 to 2023, employers' contributions of £3,641,665 were payable to the PCSPS (2021 to 2022, £3,594,657) at one of four rates in the range 26.6 percent to 30.3 percent of pensionable earnings, based on salary bands.
The Scheme Actuary reviews employer contributions usually every four years following a full scheme valuation. The contribution rates are set to meet the cost of the benefits accruing during 2022 to 2023 to be paid when the member retires and not the benefits paid during this period to existing pensioners.
Employees can opt to open a partnership pension account, a stakeholder pension with an employer contribution. Employers’ contributions of £38,687 were paid to one or more of the panel of three appointed stakeholder pension providers. Employer contributions are age-related and ranged from 8 percent to 14.75 percent.
Employers also match employee contributions up to 3 percent of pensionable earnings. In addition, 0.5 percent of pensionable pay was payable to the PCSPS to cover the cost of the future provision of lump sum benefits on death in service or ill health retirement of these employees.
Contributions due to the partnership pension providers at the balance sheet date were £399,239. No contributions were pre-paid.
Civil Service Pensions
Pension benefits are provided through the Civil Service pension arrangements. From 1 April 2015, a new pension scheme for civil servants was introduced - the Civil Servants and Others Pension Scheme (CSOPS) or alpha - which provides benefits on a career average basis with a normal pension age equal to the member’s State Pension Age (or 65 if higher). From that date, all newly appointed civil servants and the majority of those already in service joined alpha. Prior to that date, civil servants participated in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). The PCSPS has four sections: three providing benefits on a final salary basis (classic, premium or classic plus) with a normal pension age of 60; and one providing benefits on a whole career basis (nuvos) with a normal pension age of 65.
These statutory arrangements are unfunded with the cost of benefits met by monies voted by Parliament each year. Pensions payable under classic, premium, classic plus, nuvos and alpha are increased annually in line with Pensions Increase legislation.
Existing members of the PCSPS who were within 10 years of their normal pension age on 1 April 2012 remained in the PCSPS after 1 April 2015. Those who were between 10 years and 13 years and five months from their normal pension age on 1 April 2012 will switch into alpha sometime between 1 June 2015 and 1 February 2022. All members who switch to alpha have their PCSPS benefits ‘banked’, with those with earlier benefits in one of the final salary sections of the PCSPS having those benefits based on their final salary when they leave alpha. (The pension figures quoted for officials show pension earned in PCSPS or alpha - as appropriate. Where the official has benefits in both the PCSPS and alpha the figure quoted is the combined value of their benefits in the two schemes).
Members joining from October 2002 may opt for either the appropriate defined benefit arrangement or a ‘money purchase’ stakeholder pension with an employer contribution (partnership pension account).
Employee contributions are salary-related and range between 4.6 percent and 8.05 percent for members of classic, premium, nuvos and alpha. Benefits in classic and classic plus accrue at the rate of 1/80th of final pensionable earnings for each year of service.
In addition, a lump sum equivalent to three years’ initial pension is payable on retirement. For premium, benefits accrue at the rate of 1/60th of final pensionable earnings for each year of service. Unlike classic, there is no automatic lump sum. Classic plus is essentially a hybrid, with benefits for service before 1 October 2002 calculated broadly as per classic and benefits for service from October 2002 worked out as in premium.
In nuvos a member builds up a pension based on pensionable earnings during their period of scheme membership. At the end of the scheme year (31 March) the member’s earned pension account is credited with 2.3 percent of their pensionable earnings in that scheme year and the accrued pension is uprated in line with Pensions Increase legislation. Benefits in alpha build up in a similar way to nuvos, except that the accrual rate is 2.32 percent. In all cases members may opt to give up (commute) pension for a lump sum up to the limits set by the Finance Act 2004 (opens in new tab).
The partnership pension account is a stakeholder pension arrangement. The employer makes a basic contribution of between 8 percent and 14.75 percent (depending on the age of the member) into a stakeholder pension product chosen by the employee from a panel of providers. The employee does not have to contribute, but where they do make contributions, the employer will match these up to a limit of 3 percent of pensionable salary (in addition to the employer’s basic contribution). Employers also contribute a further 0.5 percent of pensionable salary to cover the cost of centrally provided risk benefit cover (death in service and ill health retirement).
The accrued pension quoted is the pension the member is entitled to receive when they reach pension age, or immediately on ceasing to be an active member of the scheme if they are already at or over pension age. Pension age is 60 for members of classic, premium and classic plus, 65 for members of nuvos, and the higher of 65 or State Pension Age for members of alpha. (The pension figures quoted for officials show pension earned in PCSPS or alpha - as appropriate. Where the official has benefits in both the PCSPS and alpha the figure quoted is the combined value of their benefits in the two schemes but note that part of that pension may be payable from different ages).
Further details about the Civil Service pension arrangements (opens in new tab).
Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV)
A Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) is the actuarially assessed capitalised value of the pension scheme benefits accrued by a member at a particular point in time.
CETV figures are calculated using the guidance on discount rates for calculating unfunded public service pension contribution rates that was extant at 31 March 2023. HM Treasury published updated guidance on 27 April 2023; this guidance will be used in the calculation of 2023 to 2024 CETV figures.
The benefits valued are the member’s accrued benefits and any contingent spouse’s pension payable from the scheme. A CETV is a payment made by a pension scheme or arrangement to secure pension benefits in another pension scheme or arrangement when the member leaves a scheme and chooses to transfer the benefits accrued in their former scheme.
The pension figures shown relate to the benefits that the individual has accrued as a consequence of their total membership of the pension scheme, not just their service in a senior capacity to which disclosure applies.
The figures include the value of any pension benefit in another scheme or arrangement which the member has transferred to the Civil Service pension arrangements. They also include any additional pension benefit accrued to the member as a result of their buying additional pension benefits at their own cost.
CETVs are worked out in accordance with The Occupational Pension Schemes (Transfer Values) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (opens in new tab) and do not take account of any actual or potential reduction to benefits resulting from Lifetime Allowance Tax which may be due when pension benefits are taken.
Real increase in Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV)
This reflects the increase in Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV) that is funded by the employer. It does not include the increase in accrued pension due to inflation, contributions paid by the employee (including the value of any benefits transferred from another pension scheme or arrangement) and uses common market valuation factors for the start and end of the period.
Former Director General – OFLOT
Upon the merger between the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission in 2013, the Commission inherited a pension liability for a former Director General of OFLOT from 1993 to 1998. This pension is an unfunded defined benefit scheme which has benefits by analogy to the PCSPS and is paid directly from the Commission's own funds. In 2001, upon the recipient reaching retirement age, pension payments commenced.
A full actuarial valuation of the schemes was carried out by the Government Actuary at 31 March 2023 and the present value of the liability at 31 March 2023 is £177,000.
Last updated: 18 October 2023
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