Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of restrictions on transfers from public sector pension schemes to defined contribution schemes.

The Government acknowledges that for unfunded Public Service Pension Schemes, outward transfers are limited under the Pensions Act 2015 to schemes where members cannot avail themselves of pension draw down flexibilities introduced by that Act. This is because draw down would increase the upfront cost of these unfunded schemes to taxpayers.

Where members move on from their public service employer, they can generally choose to become deferred members of their current pension scheme, which will see their rights in reformed 2015 Public Service Pension Schemes accrued up to this point fully price protected through continuing revaluations up to retirement.