Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Question 163: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will take the necessary steps to bring to the notice of members of the public, who may be unaware of their rights, to deferred pensions from previous employment under pension funds of previous employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39479/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Regulations made under the Pensions Act 1990 prescribe the range of information that must be issued periodically to a pension scheme member. However, regulations do not require schemes to issue this information to former employees who still retain rights to deferred pensions on foot of their previous membership of an occupational pension. It is therefore only at retirement that such schemes attempt to contact former members.

Each year, my Department is contacted by pension companies who have lost contact with former members. The Department has recently put in place safe procedures for a host mailing service whereby companies can supply brief letters to the Department who will then forward them to their intended recipients, based on current address records stored. This ensures that people's contact details are kept confidential.

The issue of ongoing contact between employees and previous employers' pension schemes is currently being analysed by both my Department and the Pensions Board with a view to bringing forward a range of options to improve the level of information available to former scheme members. I am confident that once key issues such as data protection and confidentiality are addressed, proposals will be developed.