Sir Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Fifty-seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2022-23 on AEA Technology Pension Case, HC 1005, published on 14 June 2023, which recommended redress for the AEA technology pensioners, and to Questions 329 and 330 of the oral evidence given by the Minister for Pensions to the Work and Pensions select committee on 10 January 2024, HC 144, in which the Minister (a) accepted that conclusion and (b) confirmed that Cabinet Office and DWP officials were in talks on how to ensure people have adequate means of redress; what steps she is taking to implement such a redress scheme.  [43809]

[Due for Answer on 8 April]

ANSWER 

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions (Torsten Bell): In its response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the AEA Technology case, the department agreed to consider the PAC recommendation to ‘ensure that people have an adequate route of appeal when considering complaints about their occupational and personal pensions, through a review of the Ombudsman’. Progress on the PAC and subsequent WPC recommendations were paused due to the General Election. The department remains committed to providing the PAC with an update once the Cabinet Office has considered how it would like departments to scope and schedule a new series of reviews for public bodies.