HC Deb 20 February 1992 vol 204 cc277-8W
Mr. Frank Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on how many occasions he has used his discretionary power to ensure that beneficiaries of pension schemes wound up because of insolvency have been guaranteed the guaranteed minimum pension.

Miss Widdecombe

[holding answer 6 February 1992]: The numbers of occupational pension schemes which wound up, for whatever reason, with insufficient funds to make the necessary payments to buy the members back into SERPS and had those payments treated as paid are in the table. Separate figures in respect of those cases where the employing company had become insolvent are not available.

Year Number of schemes
1978–79 1
1979–80 1
1980–81 9
1981–82 nil
1982–83 6
1983–84 38
1984–85 55
1985–86 60
1986–87 119
1987–88 97
1988–89 74
1989–90 63
1990–91 49
21991–92 47
Notes:
1 Information not available.
2 (to date).