§ Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bayasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to locate offices of the Pension Protection Fund in southern England; and, if so, how this can be reconciled with the Lyons report recommendation for an enforced presumption against London and south-east locations for new government bodies and activities. [HL2129]
§ Baroness Hollis of HeighamWhen considering the location of the Pension Protection Fund we took into account the principles of the Lyons review before reaching a decision.
The Department for Work and Pensions is acutely aware of the need to consider location as part of the business requirements and is already widely dispersed. Further departmental relocation proposals out of London and the south-east are included in the Lyons review.
In reaching a decision to locate the Pension Protection Fund in southern England we looked at three independent criteria:
- achieving successful implementation of the PPF
- ability to recruit expert staff
- value for money.
On balance we concluded that southern England was the best option which met the business needs to ensure that the Pension Protection Fund could operate with optimum effectiveness and efficiency.