Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department made of the viability of the secondary annuities market, before its announcement of a scheme to enable pensioners to sell their annuities.

Prior to announcing proposals for a secondary market in annuities, the Government consulted a broad evidence base to understand how this market might operate. This includes modelling estimates of how many annuity holders might sell their annuity, and a consideration of the views expressed by annuity providers and other potential market participants.