§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will respond to the consultation on the reform of TUPE Regulations, with particular reference to the treatment of occupational pension rights; and if she will make a statement. [88046]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 19 December 2002]: The Green Paper "Pensions and the Workplace", published on 17 December 2002, reaffirms that the Government remain committed to the long-standing policy of protection for employees' occupational pension rights on a "broadly comparable" basis for public sector transfers, both on first transfer of a service to the private sector and on any subsequent transfers within the private sector. It also seeks further views on the question of providing a degree of explicit legal protection for occupational pension rights on transfer, including in the private sector, in the light of the wide range of views expressed in response to the options put forward in our initial consultation at the end of 2001.
As regards the other aspects of our proposed TUPE reform, we aim to carry out a further round of public consultation in 2003 on draft revised regulations.