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 prevent financial disbenefit for plumbers affected by section 75 of the Pensions Act 1995; and if he will make a statement.

DWP recognises the difficulties multi employer schemes such as the Plumbers have with the current Employer Debt legislation. The recent Green Paper “Security and Sustainability in Defined Benefit pension schemes” explores these issues and during the consultation period officials have engaged with a range of stakeholders to explore potential legislative changes which could help multi employer schemes. We plan to respond on this issue in a White Paper later this winter.