§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of contributors to SERPS and their dependants who have suffered financial or other hardship as a result of the misleading information issued between 1986 and 1996 on changes in the provision of inherited SERPS. [115369]
§ Mr. RookerNo one should have suffered financial loss as a result of the information issued as the change was not due to come into effect until April 2000 and is now intended to be postponed for two and a half years until 6 October 2002. The inherited SERPS scheme will provide redress for those people who were wrongly informed and who, had they known the true position, would have made different arrangements.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was the nature of the evidence referred to in the NAO report on SERPS (HC320) about the noting by his Department of the absence of information about changes to inherited SERPS in a draft leaflet on the changes to retirement pensions; and if the investigations 593W referred to in his oral statement of 15 March 2000, Official Report, column 307, established whether Ministers' attention was drawn to this fact; [115368]
(2) if the investigations referred to in his oral statement of 15 March 2000, Official Report, column 307, established whether Ministers had (a) sight of or (b) responsibility for the 1987 revision of the DSS leaflet, "Your Retirement Pension" (NP32), concerning the 50 per cent. reduction in inherited SERPS. [115371]
§ Mr. RookerThe failure to include the correct information about SERPS inheritance provisions in leaflets was an extended failure over a period of time. The National Audit Office and the Ombudsman have reviewed the available evidence and concluded that there is no documentary evidence that enables them to conclude one way or the other about the cause of the omission. All Ministers must inevitably bear a measure of responsibility for the leaflets issued by the Departments in which they hold office.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the average weekly change, as a result of the changes to SERPS in the Social Security Act 1986, in inherited pension received by a surviving spouse whose partner dies after 5 April 2000 rather than before. [115373]
§ Mr. RookerThe changes referred to are to be postponed by two and a half years until 6 October 2002. There will therefore be no average weekly change in inherited pension for people whose spouse dies after 5 April 2000 rather than before.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the investigations referred to in his oral statement of 15 March 2000,Official Report, column 307, established whether Ministers had (a) sight of and (b) responsibility for the leaflet contained in the DSS briefing pack publicising the 1986 reforms that mentioned the 50 per cent. reduction in inherited SERPS. [115372]
§ Mr. RookerThe National Audit Office reviewed the available evidence and has published its report. This particular leaflet had a signed foreword from the then Secretary of State. All Ministers must inevitably bear a measure of responsibility for the leaflets issued by the Departments in which they hold office.
My hon. Friend is aware that Ministers in the current Administration do not have available to them papers from the previous Administration, although both the NAO and the PCA had access to all the papers on which to base their reports.