Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that a further decline in Capita's finances will not affect the level of payments to members from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.

The Department has spoken to the Trustees of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and they have confirmed that they have received an assurance from Capita regarding the ongoing administration and payment of miners’ pensions. The level of the pensions is guaranteed by the Government and would be unaffected by the finances of the administrator.