Pension Contribution Statistics (Hansard, 19 December 2002)

§ Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Willetts dated 19 December 2002: As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent questions on pension contribution statistics. (81796, 81797, 81798, 81799, and 81801). Question 112—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will give a breakdown of line H of the table on page 31 of the ONS Review of Pension Contribution Statistics published 10^th October between transfers within the assured sector, transfers between self-administered and the assured sector and transfers from public sector schemes. Annex B table 1 provides a framework for reconciling the gross inquiry data, provided by self-administered pension funds and insurance companies, with the total used by the Inland Revenue for contributions attracting tax relief. Where data are drawn from our inquiries to pension funds and insurance companies, the 2001 figures are based on smaller quarterly samples and are provisional. They are usually subject to revision when the annual benchmark data become available. Line H contains adjustments to exclude transfers from self-administered pension funds (d); transfers within the assured sector (c); and transfers from public sector schemes (b). In addition an adjustment is made to total pension contributions, 922W received by UK insurance companies, to remove premiums paid to UK companies by individuals overseas (a). The adjustments, which are included in line H, are shown below:

Year	Adjustment for UK only business a (£bn)	Adjustments for notionally and unfounded schemes b (£bn)	Surrenders/refunds under group/company sponsored schemes c (£bn)	Net transfers from (+) to (-) self-administered pension funds d (£bn)
1997	0.3	0.2	7.5	0.4
1998	0.3	0.2	11.1	0.9
1999	0.3	0.2	14.8	-0.7
2000	0.3	0.2	14.3	-2.3
2001(p)	0.3	0.2	16.4	3.1

(p) Data for 2001 are provisional.

The row totals may be different from the total published in Annex B, due to rounding effects. Question 114—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of individuals who have made contributions or who have had contributions made on their behalf in each of the last five years, broken down by those who have had the contribution made to (a) individual personal pensions, (b) self-administered occupational pension schemes and (c) insurance managed occupational pension schemes. The Family Resources Survey estimates of the number of individuals contributing to either personal or occupational pensions in each of the five years are given below. The estimates for occupational pensions can not be broken down into contributors to self-administered and insurance-managed schemes.

Numbers of working age individuals building up rights to a private, occupational and personal pension (millions)
	Private pension	Occupational pension	Personal pension
FRS
1996–97	15.2	10.2	5.8
1997–98	15.0	10.3	5.6
1998–99	15.2	10.6	5.6
1999–2000^*	14.5	10.6	4.2
2000–01^*	14.5	10.9	4.0

Source:

Family Resources Survey GB

Rounding:

All figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000

Definitions:

Working age is defined as 16-State Pension Age

Private pensions:

Numbers contributing to a private pension are all those contributing to either occupational and/or personal pension

^*Data from 1999/00 are not comparable with earlier data.

Question 115—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the checks refer to in paragraph 2 on page 30 of the ONS Review of Pension Contribution Statistics published on 10th October had been carried out between the time the Statistical Working Group met in June and the Review was published in October; what the result was of those checks: and whether they were taken into account in providing the answer to the Right Honourable Member for Fylde, 29^th October, Official Report, column 689W. The publication of the ONS Review of Pension Contributions Statistics on 10^th October 2002 highlighted a number of areas where further work is necessary to improve our present data collection system. I will announce the timetable to take forward this work and the other recommendations shortly. The checks referred to in paragraph 2 on page 30 of the report will be carried out as part of that programme of work. 923W The answer I gave to the Right Honourable Member for Fylde on 29^th October is consistent with the data in Annex B table 1 of the report. Question 116—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the average contribution per head of those who have made contributions or who have had contributions made on their behalf in each of the last five years, broken down by those who have had the contributions made to (a) individual and personal pensions, (b) self-administered occupational pension schemes and (c) insurance-managed occupational pension schemes; and if he will make a statement. Whilst approximate estimates could be obtained by dividing the numbers in Question 114 into the amounts in Question 118, these would not be reliable indicators of the build-up of pension rights. Estimates of those covered by personal and occupational pensions, such as those provided in reply to Question 114, will include those covered by schemes that are unfunded, noncontributory or subject to temporary contribution holidays and so are not closely related to the amounts in Question 118. Question 118—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been contributed to funded pension schemes by individuals and employers in each of the last five years, broken down by individual and personal pensions, (b) self-administered occupational pension schemes and (c) insurance-managed occupational pension schemes. Estimates of the contributions to self-administered pension funds and premiums receivable by insurance companies related to pension business are given in the table below. Adjustments made to inquiry data to derive net flows to occupational schemes are made at the aggregate level and the apportionment between self-administered and insurance managed funds is approximate. Care, therefore, needs to be taken in interpreting these figures:

£ billion
	Individual and personal premiums receivable by insurance companies	Group or company sponsored premiums receivable by insurance companies	Contributions to self-administered pension funds less refunds
1997	8.2	10.5	11.6
1998	9.0	14.3	11.3
1999	9.4	16.2	13.7
2000	10.3	18.0	15.7
2001(p)	11.6	18.2	16.2

(p) Data for 2001 are provisional.

This information is consistent with that provided in the answer to the Right Honourable Member for Fylde on 29^th October. Question 119—To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, what deduction, was made to the figure for gross contributions to allow for transfers of pension scheme assets that pass between the self administered and insurance-managed sector but remain within the same pension fund, when preparing the table on pages 31 and 32 of the ONS Review of Pension Contributions Statistics published on 10^th October. The Pension Fund Income and Expenditure Inquiry (which collects data from Self-Administered Pension Funds) records estimates of transfers to self-administered funds from insurance managed funds and vice versa. These data are shown in column (d) of the response to question 112, above.