§ Mr. MilliganTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether BR pensioners will continue to get no less favourable treatment than at present when the joint open fund for pensioners and BR employees becomes a closed fund.
§ Mr. FreemanI refer my hon. Friend to the response my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport gave to him during Report stage of the Railways Bill on 24 May at column 628. The objective will be to set up the fund so that pensioners continue to have an opportunity of real increases in their pensions. Subparagraph 3(3)(c) of schedule 10 would prevent the Secretary of State from making any amendment to an existing British Rail pension scheme that would to any extent deprive a member of that scheme of pension rights which had accrued to him under the scheme before the coming into force of the amendment.