§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of reports that licensed mine owners are defaulting on pension contributions in order to deprive their employees of protected pension status in transferring to the industry-wide mineworkers pension scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Charles Wardle[holding answer 24 November 1994]: Participating employers in the mineworkers' pension scheme are bound by the provisions of the scheme to pay over to British Coal all contributions by, or in respect of, their employees who are members of the MPS, for as long as they remain participating employers. It is for British Coal to collect such contributions and for the trustees of the MPS to establish whether a company has, for the purposes of the scheme, withdrawn as a participating employer.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will monitor the procedure for licensed miners to transfer to the industry-wide mineworkers pension scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Charles Wardle[holding answer 24 November 1994]: My Department has written to all participating employers in the mineworkers' pension scheme individually about the establishment of the new industry-wide mineworkers' pension scheme. Mine licensees participating in the MPS will owe a statutory duty to allow their employees who are participants in the MPS when the IWS-MPS is established to join the new scheme. My Department will be sending "Deeds of Adherence" to participating employers in the MPS shortly for their signature in order that they may become participating employers in the IWS-MPS.