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Written question asked by Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated) on Monday, 13 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 July 2026. It was answered by Lord Livermore (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Treasury.


Annuities

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what protections are in place in the UK to ensure bulk purchase annuities are guaranteed to pay the promised pensions for the rest of each member's life.

Answer

Bulk purchase annuities are provided by authorised insurers and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority. This requires insurers to hold capital and manage risks so that they can meet their long-term obligations to policyholders.

Where a pension scheme secures members’ benefits through an insurance buy-out, responsibility for paying those benefits transfers from the scheme to the insurer. Eligible annuity policyholders are also protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if an authorised insurer fails.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1949
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Annuities
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk