§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies offered occupational pension schemes on(a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002. [93002]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe information is not available.
Some information on the proportion of private sector employers that offer occupational pension schemes can be found from the DWP Employersl Pension Provision survey, which has been conducted in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. Results from these surveys have been published and are available in the Library.
The table is a reproduction of Table 4.2 of 'Employers Pension Provision Survey 2000', by Alison Smith and Stephen McKay, DWP Research Report no. 163.
941WNotes:
1. COMBS schemes (contracted-out on a mixed benefit basis) were not available until April 1997. Top Hat schemes are those set up for senior managers or only currently available to senior management.
2. Figures for 1997 are not available. There was no survey in 2002 but a survey for 2003 is currently being undertaken.
3. Methodological improvements to the survey between 1996 and 2000 mean that results are not strictly comparable across years. A detailed explanation of these improvements is given on pages 45–46 of the publication referred to above.
4. Data are only available in the form of proportions, rather than numbers of employers.
5. Results refer to private sector employers only.
6. Companies may offer more than one type of pension scheme.