Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent guidance he has issued to HMRC on the tax treatment of the victims of pension scams.

We take the issue of pension scams very seriously. The government is committed to protecting people from pension scams and pursuing those who perpetuate pension scams wherever possible.

In 2012 the government established Project Bloom, a cross-government taskforce currently led by the Pensions Regulator (TPR), to tackle scams and identify emerging threats.

HMRC will continue to come down hard on scammers who we identify, working closely with the Pensions Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority in a cross-agency approach.

HMRC does not hold an estimate of the number of breaches of tax law which were made as a result of pension scams.