Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to (a) retain and (b) maintain data needed to make further payments to Equitable Life policy holders.

There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015 and further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

The methodology for calculating payments to Equitable Life policyholders was published in 2011 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-design.

I can assure the Hon Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath that relevant records are currently retained and will continue to be as long as it is legal to do so.