Chink of light for APW pensioners as lifeboat is reviewed

10.12.41am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 17th Mar 2006

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne welcomed the news that the APW pensioners who lost a large part of their pension entitlement thanks to their under-funded pension scheme may yet be able to benefit from a government lifeboat.

Until now, the APW scheme has fallen between two stools: it was closed too early to be protected by the Pension Protection Fund, but it was not wound up due to the insolvency of the company so it could not be supported by the special lifeboat, the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Chris Huhne said that John Hutton, the Work and Pensions Secretary, had nevertheless suggested that schemes like APW could form part of the review of the Financial Assistance Scheme when he was answering questions in the Commons following criticism from the parliamentary ombudsman.

"APW pensioners have had nothing but indifference from ministers for so long that at least this is some small sign of progress" said Chris Huhne. "We will need to keep up the fight, particularly with the Treasury who ultimately control the purse strings on any lifeboat.

"It is a chink of light at the end of the tunnel, and no more than that" said Mr Huhne.

The Hampshire MPs who are supporting the APW action group - including John Denham, Julian Lewis, Chris Huhne, Sandra Gidley and others - are trying to make common cause with MPs of similar schemes in the hope of pressuring the Treasury into action.