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598124

registered interest
date	10/10/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have conducted into changes in the aggregate funding levels of UK defined benefit pension schemes over the past two years for (1) FTSE 100 companies, (2) FTSE 350 companies, and (3) small firms and charities, on (a) a technical provisions basis, and (b) a section 179 basis.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL2153
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2016 answer text <p>The Pensions Regulator (TPR) and the Pensions Protection Fund (PPF) regularly publish information on Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes’ funding levels. In addition, a number of other organisations also produce analysis of the impacts of DB pensions using a variety of measures. Over the past two years we have been using this information to closely monitor changes in the aggregate funding levels of UK DB pension schemes.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 24/10/2016 13:48:24 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

598125

registered interest
date	10/10/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Pensions: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in the UK were victims of pension scams in (1) 2014, (2) 2015, and (3) 2016 to date.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL2154
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2016 answer text <p>The Government takes the threat posed by scams very seriously and recognises that these can be complex and multifaceted, often spanning departmental and agency boundaries. It is for this reason that the Government established Project Bloom, a multi-department, multi-agency group of officials to help co-ordinate action to tackle scams, monitor trends and share intelligence on emerging threats. Members include the National Crime Agency, police forces, Pension Wise, regulators and key Government departments.</p><p>Those scams which are reported, including Pension Liberation reports, are collected and collated by the National Fraud Reporting Centre (Action Fraud), within the City of London Police, which was established in 2013. However, the true extent of pension scams in the UK is unknown because many go un-reported.</p><p>The data on the number of reported scams will include those which have been reported over the past three years by individuals, pension providers, the Pensions Regulator or other agencies but, on which, Action Fraud has not yet received any feedback from the investigating police force, for example, a report on whether suspects have been charged or summonsed. This delay is due to the complexity of pension fraud investigations which can take several years to investigate. Action Fraud would not know the outcome until the end of the court case. Frequently, numerous fraud reports will relate to a single suspect.</p><p>The data on the number of reported scams also includes reports where organisations have taken action to prevent that fraud. Outcome feedback would only be received in respect of these reports if the Police became involved.</p><p>We expect the number of charges and summons to increase as outcome feedback from investigating police forces for pre 2014 reports is received and collated. The available data is provided in the table below:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Action Fraud Reports </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Suspect charged / summonsed</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>911</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>807</p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016 (to date)</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total: </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2,008</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2155 question first answered 24/10/2016 13:33:31 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

598126

registered interest
date	10/10/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Pensions: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pension scams were (1) reported, and (2) stopped by official action, in each year from 2010 to 2016.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL2155
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2016 answer text <p>The Government takes the threat posed by scams very seriously and recognises that these can be complex and multifaceted, often spanning departmental and agency boundaries. It is for this reason that the Government established Project Bloom, a multi-department, multi-agency group of officials to help co-ordinate action to tackle scams, monitor trends and share intelligence on emerging threats. Members include the National Crime Agency, police forces, Pension Wise, regulators and key Government departments.</p><p>Those scams which are reported, including Pension Liberation reports, are collected and collated by the National Fraud Reporting Centre (Action Fraud), within the City of London Police, which was established in 2013. However, the true extent of pension scams in the UK is unknown because many go un-reported.</p><p>The data on the number of reported scams will include those which have been reported over the past three years by individuals, pension providers, the Pensions Regulator or other agencies but, on which, Action Fraud has not yet received any feedback from the investigating police force, for example, a report on whether suspects have been charged or summonsed. This delay is due to the complexity of pension fraud investigations which can take several years to investigate. Action Fraud would not know the outcome until the end of the court case. Frequently, numerous fraud reports will relate to a single suspect.</p><p>The data on the number of reported scams also includes reports where organisations have taken action to prevent that fraud. Outcome feedback would only be received in respect of these reports if the Police became involved.</p><p>We expect the number of charges and summons to increase as outcome feedback from investigating police forces for pre 2014 reports is received and collated. The available data is provided in the table below:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of Action Fraud Reports </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Suspect charged / summonsed</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>911</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>807</p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016 (to date)</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total: </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2,008</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2154 question first answered 24/10/2016 13:33:31 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

598127

registered interest
date	10/10/2016
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Nuisance Calls
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are planning to take to prevent cold calling for pension scams.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL2156
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2016 answer text <p>My Department is in conversations with Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions on how best we tackle nuisance calls and the scams associated with them, which is a priority for the Government.</p><p> </p><p>We are exploring several measures that will help strengthen the Information Commissioner’s enforcement powers against those organisations that continue to breach the direct marketing rules. Specific measures under consideration are; extending the Information Commissioner’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls and exploring the options for enabling the Information Commissioner to hold company directors to account for breaches of the direct marketing rules.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will continue to work closely with the City of London Police (CoLP), the national lead force for fraud, to help local forces and partners deliver protective advice to the public on fraud, including phone scams. CoLP operates Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, to ensure that the public has the information they need to protect themselves from telephone fraud. Action Fraud, for example, places an alert on its website when a serious threat or new type of fraud is identified - which members of the public can sign up to receive by email.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 20/10/2016 14:36:32 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

598128

registered interest
date	10/10/2016
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Nuisance Calls
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the risk of pension fraud and scams, what are their reasons for not banning cold calling about pensions.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL2157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2016 answer text <p>We are determined to tackle the scourge of nuisance calls especially those of a fraudulent nature. Our efforts are focused on taking action against companies that are deliberating break the rules, rather than penalising legitimate businesses who comply with the law.</p><p> </p><p>My Department is in conversations with Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions on how best we tackle scams as a result of pensions cold calls.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 20/10/2016 14:36:59 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

598129

registered interest
date	10/10/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that individuals who are currently working in multiple low paid jobs without receiving national insurance credits will not lose out on their future state pension relative to people who are not working and still being credited for National Insurance contributions.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL2158
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2016 answer text <p>The population working in multiple low paid jobs is not static and there is little evidence that people are engaged in this type of work pattern for significant periods in their working life, or that their state pension outcomes are affected, so many of those affected are likely to build up sufficient qualifying years in the future through paid or credited contributions. There is also a very wide gateway to National Insurance cover already: the lower earnings limit, the threshold for access to contributory benefits (including the State Pension) is set at the equivalent of less than 16 hours per week at the national living wage; there is a comprehensive system for National Insurance credits; people can pay voluntary contributions to protect their State Pension position, and finally, new State Pension allows for substantial gaps in National Insurance cover – up to 15 years over a 50 year working life – without penalty.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 24/10/2016 13:47:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann