To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) public and (b) private sector employees were contracted out into defined benefit pension schemes that offered benefits better than the minimum requirements for guaranteed minimum pensions in 1996-97. (317191)

The legislation in place between 1978 and 1997 required a contracted out defined benefit scheme to provide a guaranteed minimum pension (GMP). It was a matter for the trustees and/or sponsoring employer of each scheme to decide what if any benefits to provide in addition to the GMP, and information is not available centrally on the number of public or private sector employees in schemes which offered such benefits.