Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle (a) discrepancies between contribution amounts on pension statements and payslips, (b) lack of online access to manage pensions and (c) other common issues with workplace pensions.

The independent Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for providing detailed guidance to employers on how to meet their automatic enrolment duties. This includes guidance on avoiding common errors, such as incorrect pension contributions, failing to enrol employees correctly and missing or late payments. Pension scheme managers and trustees also have a responsibility to ensure the correct management of schemes including monitoring the payment of contributions.

If an employee has concerns regarding their workplace pension such as unpaid contributions, they should raise this with their employer in the first instance. An individual can report their employer to TPR if it is not complying with the law and/or make a complaint to The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) who can investigate the complaint and provide a remedy if the employer is found to be at fault. TPO, in collaboration with MoneyHelper and TPR, has published a factsheet for customers about this: Workplace pensions – unpaid pension contributions | The Pensions Ombudsman.

Accessible information and good communications are important in enabling savers to better understand their pensions. Some schemes already offer online access to help members easily and securely view their pension details. The government is also supporting the delivery of pensions dashboards, which will allow people to view their whole pensions picture, including their State Pension, securely and in one place. This will help reunite people with their lost pension pots and support better engagement – empowering individuals to better prepare for retirement.