Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many pension schemes have entered the Financial Assistance Scheme; and for what proportion of (1) schemes, and (2) scheme members, does the Pension Protection Fund have definitive copies of the original scheme's trust deed and rules in relation to pre-1997 pension increases.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of 16 December 2025, 1,045 schemes have transferred into the Financial Assistance Scheme.
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) holds a significant amount of scheme information. We are confident that the PPF will be able to identify the information needed and successfully implement the reforms to award pre-97 indexation uplifts to compensation payments.
The PPF is reviewing the information it holds for each scheme. Alongside scheme rules, the PPF will use additional data sources, including scheme return data, member booklets, data provided on transfer, valuation reports, annuity reports, and bulk buyout schedules.
Where the position is unclear, the clauses within the Pension Schemes Bill provide that the presumption is in favour of the members. In such cases, the PPF will award pre-97 indexation.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment it has made of the level of investments by open UK defined benefit schemes, including the Parliamentary Pension Scheme, into UK equities.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Private sector defined benefit (DB) pension schemes which are open to new members allocate 42% of their assets to equities. However, this is not broken down by UK equities. See the PPF Purple Book for further detail: https://www.ppf.co.uk/-/media/PPF-Website/Public/Purple-Book-Data-2025/Pension-Protection-Fund-Purple-Book-2025-accessible.pdf
Public sector DB pension schemes are estimated to allocate around 9% of their assets to listed UK equities. See the Pension Policy Institute’s 2025 “Pension scheme assets” report: https://www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk/media/i2cgonin/20250604-pension-scheme-assets-2025-final.pdf
The scheme trustees are responsible for the investment strategy of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund and information on asset allocation is published in the scheme’s Annual Report and Accounts. These are published on the website of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority www.theipsa.org.uk/annual-reports.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of its current consultation on changing the inflation measure for long-term renewable energy pricing from the retail prices index to the consumer prices index, what assessment it has made of the impact of this change on the future willingness of companies to invest in long-term UK infrastructure projects.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has consulted on proposed changes to how support provided through the Feed-in Tariffs and Renewable Obligation schemes is adjusted for inflation. The consultation was accompanied by an analytical annex which set out the potential impacts of the policy. Updated analysis will be published alongside the Government Response next year.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of (1) the Mineworkers Pension Scheme, and (2) the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, have pensions in payment valued at (a) under £5000 a year, (b) between £5000 and £15,000 a year, (c) between £15,000 and £30,000 a year, (d) between £30,000 and £50,000 a year, and (e) over £50,000 a year.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is set out in the table below:
Number of members in payment | ||
Annual pension | Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme | British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme |
Under £5,000 | 40,716 | 5,871 |
£5,000 - £15,000 | 49,038 | 11,662 |
£15,000 - £30,000 | 12,869 | 11,858 |
£30,000 - £50,000 | 2,321 | 4,973 |
Over £50,000 | 124 | 2,577 |
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what benchmarks they have established for monitoring progress on Palestinian Authority curriculum reform in light of President Abbas’ letter to President Macron and the UK–Palestinian Authority Memorandum of Understanding; and what assessment they have made of the implications for UK–Palestinian Authority cooperation should the Palestinian Authority fail to deliver the curriculum reforms it has committed to.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided on 27 November to Question HL11630.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the barriers would be to local authorities (1) taking contribution holidays while their pension schemes are in significant surplus, and (2) using the money that would otherwise have paid employer pension contributions to fund local services.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Contribution rates for employers in the Local Government Pension Scheme are set every three years as part of a valuation process, where Pension Funds will work with actuaries and employers – including local authorities – to determine a rate which is sustainable for employers and will allow the Fund to pay out pensions in the future.
The 2025 valuation is underway, which will set contribution rates for the three years from 2026-27. Pension contributions are paid for from local authorities’ general fund and there is no ring-fenced funding stream. This means any reduction in contributions may allow for greater budget flexibility to provide local services.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of specifically levying (1) 10 per cent or (2) 20 per cent on unused pensions at death, instead of requiring the pension fund to be administered as part of the person's estate for inheritance tax purposes.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. This removes distortions from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. These reforms also remove inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions.
A flat rate tax charge would be a very different policy with very different impacts. Fewer than 10% of estates annually are forecast to have an inheritance tax liability in the coming years. A flat rate tax charge on pensions would impact a different, and large, population of individuals below the current inheritance tax thresholds. This approach would not be equitable as it would require the majority of estates to pay more so that a small share of estates could pay less.
If the flat rate is set at a lower rate than the current rate of inheritance tax, this would lead to unused pension funds being taxed more lightly than other assets subject to inheritance tax at a rate of 40%. This would likely mean that pensions would continue to be used as a tax planning vehicle for the wealthiest individuals.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of (1) defined contribution, and (2) defined benefit, pension schemes that use salary sacrifice for auto-enrolled workers.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Whilst the government does not currently hold these figures, 39% of employers offer salary sacrifice and 35% of employees use it. We would expect that the vast majority of pension schemes using salary sacrifice include workers covered by pensions automatic enrolment. Automatic enrolment applies to workers aged between 22 and the State Pension age and earning at least £10,000 a year. The latest figures indicate that the majority (94%) of employees using salary sacrifice are eligible for auto-enrolment.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people over 18 years old are not able to access their Child Trust Funds because their parents or guardian have not applied to the Court of Protection to access the funds on their behalf.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is not possible to provide the information requested as this data is not held by the Ministry of Justice. This is because a lack of mental capacity cannot be inferred simply from a person’s disability or condition. Capacity is decision-specific and timebound.
Many disabled young adults are able to manage their own finances, including accessing their matured Child Trust Fund (CTF), with appropriate support where needed. An application to the Court of Protection to access a CTF is only required where the account holder lacks mental capacity to make decisions about their property and affairs and does not have an existing court order or court appointed deputy in place. A deputy may be appointed to manage a range of assets, including any CTF, or the court can make a one-off order for CTF access.
The Government recognises that the transition to adulthood can be a challenging time for young disabled people and their families. To support them, guidance has been published on GOV.UK in the form of a toolkit, “Making financial decisions for young people who lack capacity”, which raises awareness on the arrangements that they need to have in place.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make changes to tax and National insurance reliefs for salary sacrifice pension arrangements; and if so, what estimate they have made of the cost to employers, in particular in regard to the cost of changing payroll processes and renegotiating employment contracts.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.