Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Aviva, (b) Legal & General, (c) Pension Insurance Corporation and (d) Scottish Widows on public sector involvement in the consolidation of corporate sponsored defined benefit pension schemes in the last 12 months.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Treasury engages regularly with the UK insurance sector on a range of issues, including on the consolidation of corporate sponsored defined benefit pension schemes which are also discussed with a wide range of other stakeholders.

More broadly, the Government has consulted on options for private sector defined benefit schemes, including proposals on a public sector consolidator. The Government is currently considering consultation responses and will set out its response in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what statutory guidance his Department issues to water companies on issuing compensation to customers in cases where the minimum standards of service required under The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008 have not been met.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008 are often referred to as the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). The GSS establishes baseline expectations for customer service and corresponding payments to be made to affected customers when the standards have not been met. The independent economic regulator Ofwat provides guidance on the scheme, as well as monitors and makes determinations to resolve disputes over GSS claims between companies and customers.

Following a public consultation, the Government confirmed on 17 December 2024 that it will introduce new and increased statutory payments of double the previous amounts or more. The changes will also see the list of circumstances that can trigger compensation expand.

Furthermore, in October 2024 UK and Welsh Governments launched what is expected to be the largest review of the water sector since privatisation, with an Independent Water Commission to examine the sector and its regulatory framework.