§ Dr. FrancisTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with(a) the pensions industry (b) employers and (c) trades unions to ensure that the public is better informed about their future pension provisions. [75031]
§ Mr. McCartney[holding reply 21 October 2002]: The Government are committed to ensuring that individuals have access to better information to improve awareness of the importance of retirement planning. We have discussed these issues with a range of pensions representative organisations, such as the members of the Joint Working Group on Occupational Pensions and the Financial Services Authority, as part of our regular dialogue on pensions issues. We have a pension education strategy which includes:
Raising awareness of retirement planning through a dedicated publicity campaign;Providing more information to people about their pension provision through combined pension forecasts; andTesting new ways to get information out to the public, for example through interactive digital television.Following the Prime Minister's statement at the TUC conference, Ministers have met with both the TUC and the CBI to discuss a range of pensions issues and officials are continuing the constructive dialogue. In addition, the Department of Work and Pensions liasies with a range of organisations on an ongoing basis, to consider ways to improve the provision of pensions information to consumers. For example, in relation to the work on the combined pension forecast we have worked closely with a range of employers such as Sainsburys and Prudential.
§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many final salary pension scheme closures there were over the last five years. [79767]
§ Mr. McCartneyI will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible with the information requested and place a copy of my letter in the Library.