Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2021 to Question 18566, on Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund Scheme, what estimate he has made of the projected average entitlement for members of the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund pension scheme through the Natural Environment Research Council and British Antarctic Survey.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund (MNRPF) is a multi-employer pension scheme and it is therefore not possible for any single participating (current or past) employer to estimate it’s share of any liabilities. This is a closed pension scheme and we do not know for certain if there are either active or deferred members of MNRPF who were previously employees of UK Research Innovation (UKRI) (or its predecessor organisations - NERC/BAS/NOC). However, it is possible, as not all of the former employees who were members of this pension scheme will have reached the scheme retirement age yet. As they are no longer employees, UKRI have no record of their current pension scheme memberships or entitlements.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2021 to Question 18565 on the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund Scheme, if he will make an estimate of the future cost to the public purse in the (a) short-term and (b) long-term in relation to the Natural Environment Research Council and British Antarctic Survey’s role as a sponsoring employer of the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund pension scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund (MNRPF) is a multi-employer pension scheme and it is therefore not possible for any single participating (current or past) employer to estimate it’s share of any liabilities. This is a closed pension scheme and we do not know for certain if there are either active or deferred members of MNRPF who were previously employees of UK Research Innovation (UKRI) (or its predecessor organisations - NERC/BAS/NOC). However, it is possible, as not all of the former employees who were members of this pension scheme will have reached the scheme retirement age yet. As they are no longer employees, UKRI have no record of their current pension scheme memberships or entitlements.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the projected average entitlement for members of the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund pension scheme through the Natural Environment Research Council and British Antarctic Survey.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) no longer have any employees enrolled in the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund Scheme. There are no anticipated upcoming costs to these organisations related to this scheme with their share of the fund’s future deficit having been paid in full. As there are no active members of the scheme who are current employees of NERC or BAS an estimate cannot be made of entitlements as records of current pensions scheme memberships are not held.
Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the future cost to the public purse in the (a) short term and (b) long term in relation to the Natural Environment Research Council and British Antarctic Survey’s role as a sponsoring employer of the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund pension scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) no longer have any employees enrolled in the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund Scheme. There are no anticipated upcoming costs to these organisations related to this scheme with their share of the fund’s future deficit having been paid in full. As there are no active members of the scheme who are current employees of NERC or BAS an estimate cannot be made of entitlements as records of current pensions scheme memberships are not held.