23 February 2007
Four men who won a court case over their lost pensions will now
have their legal costs paid by the Government.
The Work & Pensions Secretary John Hutton told MPs that he
would pay the costs of the men's claim so far, plus any appeal
costs.
But he said the government itself might go to appeal over the
case.
The High Court has ordered the government to reconsider its
rejection of findings made by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in a
report on lost pensions.
Last year the Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, found that the government
was guilty of maladministration, and had caused injustice, by
publishing inaccurate and misleading information about the security
of occupational pension schemes.
She had called on the government to arrange higher levels of
compensation for about 85,000 people.
They had lost all or part of their pension entitlements when
their pension schemes were wound up with a deficit, between 1997
and 2005.
