§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are in place to credit pension payments paid into a bank account(a) weekly and (b) in advance rather than arrears; whether changes in method of payment are made only on request; and how such a request can be made. [105378]
§ Malcolm WicksPensioners who are currently paid weekly in advance will continue to be paid this way after the move to Direct Payment.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the(a) funded and (b) unfunded public sector pension schemes for which his Department, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies are responsible; when the last actuarial valuation was of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and if he will make a statement. [104923]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe Department is not responsible for any funded or unfunded pension schemes in respect of its staff.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the advice given to pensioners by the Pension Service on form BR2199(RP) in respect of hospital downrating. [105254]
§ Mr. McCartneyThere are no current plans to amend the advice on form BR2199(RP).
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age were not making second tier pension arrangements(a) in 1997 and (b) in the last year for which figures are available. [105825]
§ Mr. McCartneyIn 1997, we estimate that 11.9 million working age people were not members of SERPS or making private pension arrangements. In 2001–02, this figure was 11.4 million. We estimate that state second pension, introduced from April 2002 will reduce the number to about 7 million. These figures have been estimated using the Family Resources Survey, 1997–98 and 2001–02.
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in approved personal pensions in each year since 1988; and what proportion of members were accruing no additional pension rights in each year. [105826]
§ Mr. McCartneyInformation is not available in the format requested. However, available estimates of the number of personal pension arrangements for employees are contained in the table. The estimates are606W based on administrative returns made to the Inland Revenue by personal pension providers and show the number of arrangements for employees which have received a contribution in the year.
It is not possible to estimate how many individuals these relate to. Neither is it possible to say how many of those with only minimum contributions have made no further contributions to a private pension as, for example, an appropriate personal pension may have been used by an individual to contract out while a member of an employer's occupational scheme. Alternatively, the individual could have arrangements with other personal pension providers to which they are making contributions.
Number of Personal Pension Arrangements for Employees Thousand Total number of arrangements Number where a minimum contribution only has been received 1989–90 5,000 2,450 1990–91 6,250 2,750 1991–92 7,300 3,050 1992–93 8,100 3,050 1993–94 8,050 2,900 1994–95 8,700 3,070 1995–96 8,570 3,020 1996–97 8,530 2,960 1997–98 9,150 2,930 1998–99 9,630 2,950 1999–2000 10,010 2,980 2000–01 9,950 2,890 Due to the simplified regime introduced from April 2001 for personal and stakeholder pensions, estimates on a comparable basis are not available from 2001–02 onwards.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what circumstances pensioners who receive their pensions weekly in cash will be able to receive weekly payments if they opt to receive their pensions by automated credit transfer into a bank account. [105545]
§ Malcolm WicksI refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 11 March 2003,Official Report, column 187W.