Oral Answers to Questions

Grahame Morris Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd July 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

First, we are very disappointed with Japan’s decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and restart commercial whaling. I have raised my concerns personally with Prime Minister Abe—I did that earlier this year. My right hon. Friend the Environment Secretary has written to his Japanese counterpart on this matter. We will continue to work with the Japanese Government to engage with them and raise our concerns at every level, and we urge them to rethink their decision.

[Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

Q15. The Prime Minister will be aware that the Treasury has taken £4.4 billion from the mineworkers’ pension funds, and she may also be aware of the debate in the House in which support was expressed for a review of the existing pension surplus sharing arrangements. Will she please commission a review of those arrangements? Let us have some justice for the retired miners and their widows.

[The Prime Minister]

Agreements have been reached on the sharing arrangements. Of course, we all have concerns about pensions and the continuing ability of pension funds to provide for pensioners, but one of the biggest challenges to pension funds—one of the biggest hits on pension funds—came when the previous Labour Government took £100 billion out of them.