Pensions Mis-selling (Hansard, 8 February 2000)

§ Mr. Terry Davis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the time currently taken, in the context of pensions mis-selling, for the Teachers Pensions Agency to complete the reinstatement process once the Agency has been notified; and if he will make a statement. [109223]

§ Mr. Wicks
The average time taken to complete a re-instatement case is 14 weeks, measured from the time Teachers' Pensions are notified that mis-selling has taken place. Cases which take longer than the average are frequently the result of the personal pensions provider failing to act on the re-instatement quotation within the three month period for which the quotation is guaranteed. Some 25 per cent. of restoration quotations have to be re-calculated for this reason.

§ Mr. Terry Davis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps are being taken to reduce the time taken to rectify pensions mis-selling to teachers in England and Wales. [109222]

§ Mr. Wicks
A number of initiatives have been introduced by Teachers' Pensions to streamline the reinstatement processes. These include improvements to their computer systems; the introduction of a dedicated e-mail address; regular contact between Teachers' Pensions staff and personal pension providers; and monthly productivity targets.

§ Mr. Terry Davis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many staff have been allocated by(a) the Teachers Pensions Agency and (b) the Government Actuary's Department solely to rectify the mis-selling of pensions to teachers. [109224]

§ Mr. Wicks
The administration of the teachers' pension scheme is undertaken under contract by Teachers' Pensions, part of Capita Business Services Ltd. Sixteen staff within Teachers' Pensions work exclusively on the restoration of pension benefits of those teachers who have been mis-sold a personal pension. The Government Actuary's Department does not have any staff dedicated solely to this work. Advice on mis-selling cases is provided by staff who carry out a range of functions on behalf of this Department.