Found: February 2024) 120 Q42 121 Q215 ; The Pensions Regulator makes strategic shift in its oversight of the workplace

Found: But nonetheless, the pension savings gap perpetuates since contributions to workplace pensions are

Found: pensioners in absolute low income after housing costs • Number of people automatically enrolled in workplace

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that around 3.5 million private sector employees do not pay anything into their pensions in a given year, and what they will do to address this.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Automatic Enrolment has already seen more than 11 million people enrolled into pension saving to date, with around an additional £29 billion in real terms saved into workplace pensions in 2021 compared to 2012.

Automatic Enrolment (AE) is and will continue to be based on the principle of extending saving to as many people as possible for whom it makes sense to save. We remain committed to increasing the number of employees who are saving, through implementing the AE 2017 Review measures to lower the age for being automatically enrolled to 18 and abolishing the lower earnings band for workplace pension contributions, which will disproportionately benefit lower earners, giving them access to an employer pension contribution for the first time. This will see 3 million people saving £2 billion extra a year.

The Government supported the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023 which gives us the legislative powers to implement the expansion of AE subject to consultation. We remain committed to doing this in the mid-2020s.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of ending funding for employers' contributions to the teachers' pension scheme for music teachers employed by music hubs unattached to schools on costs to the public purse.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

In March 2024, the department announced an additional £1.1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to support schools and local authorities with the increased Teachers’ Pension Scheme employer contribution rate. This additional funding will be distributed in 2024/25 via the new teachers’ pension employer contribution grant (TPECG) 2024.

The department is providing additional funding through the TPECG 2024 to local authorities in respect of teachers categorised as centrally employed on the schools’ workforce census 2023. The department expects local authority-based Music Hub teachers to be recorded on the schools’ workforce census, and so to be in scope for this grant.

The department has also committed to providing funding to cover the increase in employer contribution rates for existing non-local authority hubs for the current academic year, until August 2024, and officials are working to agree the precise amount. Further details, including funding rates and allocations, will be provided soon.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of pension inequality among armed forces veterans.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Pension schemes develop over time in response to changing circumstances, but the Armed Forces Pension Schemes are designed to be generous, fair and equitable. It is a principle of public service pensions policy, upheld by successive Governments, that improvements to public service pension schemes should not be applied retrospectively.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which pensions his Department has responsibility for are counted towards the NATO target of spending two percent of GDP on defence; and what the value of such pension payments was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Under NATO guidance pensions for defence personnel form part of qualifying defence spend. This includes both military pensions and Ministry of Defence civil servants. For Financial Year 2022-23, this is £1,523 million and £123 million respectively.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has committed to cover the increase in employer contribution rates for Music Hubs this academic year.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The department has secured £1.25 billion to support eligible settings with the increased Teachers’ Pension Scheme employer contribution rate in the 2024/25 financial year. This includes additional funding of £9.3 million to local authorities for their centrally employed teachers, including those employed in local authority based music hubs.

The Teachers’ Pension Employer Contribution Grant 2024 will provide funding to local authorities in respect of teachers categorised as centrally employed on the schools workforce census 2023. The department expects local authority based music hub teachers to be recorded on the census.

The department has also committed to providing funding to cover the increase in employer contribution rates for existing non local authority hubs for the current academic year (until August 2024), and departmental officials are working to agree the precise amount. Further details, including funding rates and allocations, will be provided soon.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people save for the future.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Retirement saving has been transformed with over 11 million employees put into workplace pensions since 2012.

We are committed to the expansion of Automatic Enrolment in the mid-2020s. Our reforms will benefit younger workers and increase overall amounts being saved, with 3m people saving £2bn extra a year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential distress caused to spousal pension recipients by Teachers’ Pensions requiring recipients whose spouses retired before January 2007 to confirm annually that they are not living with a new partner; and what assessment they have made of how many such recipients are now living with new partners.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The beneficiaries of spouses who were members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) who retired before January 2007 are required to complete an annual declaration confirming that they continue to be entitled to receive a survivor’s pension from the Scheme. This process was introduced in 2016 following the identification of a number of cases where entitlement under Scheme rules had ended due to the beneficiary remarrying, entering a civil partnership or living with another person as if married or in a civil partnership. These cases resulted in some significant overpayments needing to be repaid.

The possible impact of the letter on the recipient was considered when the process was established and is subject to discussion with the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Advisory Board, however the department considers that this preventative measure is proportionate and preferable to the alternative. The scheme administrator does not collect information on how many recipients are living with new partners as it is not necessary for the administration of the scheme.

The review referred to in The Guardian on 10 February 2024 was in relation to a separate data exercise where some details of a recipient of TPS benefits match those of a recorded death. This is a standard check carried out by pension scheme administrators to reduce instances of fraud and error leading to overpayments which ultimately cost the taxpayer if they cannot be recovered.

Teachers’ Pensions matches the data of beneficiaries and members who have a pension in payment annually with deaths recorded on the death register. Where there is a sufficiently strong match, the recipient is asked to complete a declaration of ongoing entitlement. The scheme administrator does not record incorrect data about the member from this match and the pension is only suspended if a declaration is not received within 28 days. This is to minimise any potential overpayment.

The review was an internal consideration of the processes and it was concluded that they remain appropriate, but that more detailed guidance on the Teachers’ Pensions website would be helpful for those who may be affected. Updated information is currently being prepared.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Teachers’ Pensions is incorrectly claiming that some pensioners are dead and stopping their pension payments without cross-checking the death register; and of whether it is complying with its data protection requirements.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The beneficiaries of spouses who were members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) who retired before January 2007 are required to complete an annual declaration confirming that they continue to be entitled to receive a survivor’s pension from the Scheme. This process was introduced in 2016 following the identification of a number of cases where entitlement under Scheme rules had ended due to the beneficiary remarrying, entering a civil partnership or living with another person as if married or in a civil partnership. These cases resulted in some significant overpayments needing to be repaid.

The possible impact of the letter on the recipient was considered when the process was established and is subject to discussion with the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Advisory Board, however the department considers that this preventative measure is proportionate and preferable to the alternative. The scheme administrator does not collect information on how many recipients are living with new partners as it is not necessary for the administration of the scheme.

The review referred to in The Guardian on 10 February 2024 was in relation to a separate data exercise where some details of a recipient of TPS benefits match those of a recorded death. This is a standard check carried out by pension scheme administrators to reduce instances of fraud and error leading to overpayments which ultimately cost the taxpayer if they cannot be recovered.

Teachers’ Pensions matches the data of beneficiaries and members who have a pension in payment annually with deaths recorded on the death register. Where there is a sufficiently strong match, the recipient is asked to complete a declaration of ongoing entitlement. The scheme administrator does not record incorrect data about the member from this match and the pension is only suspended if a declaration is not received within 28 days. This is to minimise any potential overpayment.

The review was an internal consideration of the processes and it was concluded that they remain appropriate, but that more detailed guidance on the Teachers’ Pensions website would be helpful for those who may be affected. Updated information is currently being prepared.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2024 to Question 12888 on Workplace Pensions, for what reason the findings of that work will not be published.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I would refer the Hon. Gentleman to the previous response. It is not convention to disclose policy discussions between Ministers and officials as a matter of course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle pension irregularities in the Defence Fire Rescue Project.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office, acting as the Civil Service Pension Scheme Manager, has met on a number of occasions with representatives of Unite the Union (Unite), Capita Land Services and MyCSP to discuss issues surrounding Pensionable Pay for members of the Defence Fire and Rescue Services that were transferred to Capita Fire and Rescue. The work is expected to be completed no later than July 2024.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to higher education institutions to help meet the cost of the teachers’ pension scheme.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Higher education providers (HEPs) are autonomous bodies, and the government does not fund the cost of changes to the scheme for them in the same way as for schools and colleges. The department expects HEPs to continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks to protect their longer-term sustainability.

The government will continue to work with the higher education sector to explore how it can best support those providers affected, including planning effectively for implementation. The department is also keen to maintain an ongoing dialogue with HEPs.

Found: salary of £40,000 per annum currently includes £25,400 in employer pension contributions 19 Employee workplace

Found: salary of £40,000 per annum currently includes £25,400 in employer pension contributions 19 Employee workplace

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Found: contributions from male employees from raising the UEL in line with CPI is g reater than the 11 ONS Employee workplace

Found: logistics 2 126 Wall and floor tiler ST0368 Construction and the built environment 2 127 Workplace