There are no plans to make any changes with regard to contributions to existing spouses' and children's schemes. The Commission on Public Service Pensions examined the issue of compulsory membership in its Final Report on Public Service Pensions. It did not recommend any change in the rules providing for automatic membership of the spouses' and children's schemes, nor in the refund arrangements for membership contributions.
Public service spouses' and children's schemes are structured on a group insurance basis and the member contribution rates take account of the fact that payment of benefits will not arise in respect of all members. If cessation or refund of contributions (other than in respect of contributions exceeding forty years) were to be permitted on the basis that no benefits were going to arise, this would weaken the integrity of the schemes and could undermine fundamentally the financing of the schemes.
It is generally not possible to determine that a person will never benefit from such schemes as they provide cover for marriages and civil partnerships after retirement, and adopted children and stepchildren are also covered. Also, there is now a wider range of scheme beneficiaries under the schemes than heretofore. For example, in relation to civil partnerships, Section 99 of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 provides that a benefit under a pension scheme that is provided for the spouse of a scheme member is deemed to provide equally for the civil partner (as defined in the Act) of such a person.