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Pensions

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Work and Pensions – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 12 March 2007.

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Photo of James Purnell James Purnell Minister of State (Pensions Reform), Department for Work and Pensions 2:30, 12 March 2007

We will look at suggestions from hon. Members of all parties, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear in his statement on 22 February. He also said that we were examining the financial assistance scheme in the light of the European Court of Justice case. We have made a commitment to pay the claimants' costs in the appeal to ensure that they are not disadvantaged. We have said that we will come back to the House as soon as possible—certainly before the Pensions Bill completes its passage.

I want to correct one point that the hon. Lady made. The court did not find against the Government on all aspects. It found against the Government on the 1996 leaflet that was issued and upheld the Government's case on causality and the operation of the minimum funding requirement.

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Peter Lapinskas
Posted on 14 Mar 2007 11:22 am (Report this annotation)

The minister is not being strictly accurate in his correction. Mr Justice Bean was not able to find that the Government leaflets caused the losses in all 125,000 cases where pension rights were lost on scheme wind-up. But that is by no means the same as saying that there is no causal link at all, which is the Government position. What the judge was saying that there may well be a link in some (perhaps most) cases, but that they would have to be considered individually. So he did not rule out the possibility of causality as the Minister claims.

No wonder 70% of UK adults don't trust this Government on pensions (Professional Pensions 9 March 2007).

Liz Kwantes
Posted on 23 Apr 2007 5:54 pm (Report this annotation)

I noticed in Hansard (col 329 18 April) that James Purnell stated "I have great respect for Ros Altmann, but as far as I know she never worked as an adviser to No. 10 or No. 11, as is often said".

Ros Altmann became an adviser to Number 10 Policy Unit from 2000 and in addition she was an advisor to the Treasury on the Myners Report in 2000. If he had checked Ros Altmann's CV it states:

Policy adviser to Number 10 Policy Unit on savings, pensions and retirement policy. Researching, writing and speaking on policy issues for pensions, lifetime savings, investments and annuities. Involved in policy initiatives to encourage middle income groups to save.

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