FOI reference - FOI-17
Date - 16 May 2022
Request
I am interested in the statistics quoted in this article written by yourselves DB defined benefit annual report.
I am looking at the decline of DB schemes in the UK and can see some good statistics in this article, I would like to see names for:
- A 567 Open – list of company names
- B 2,235 CTNM – list of company names
- C 2,608 CTFA – list of company names
- D Winding up 194 – list of company names
Please can you send me the most recent list used of all the companies in the UK that have DB schemes and which ones fall into the above categories ABCD the data you used to compile this pie chart and below tables.
Finally, if you have the funding levels deficit or surplus for each of these listed schemes as well this would also be a great help if you could include this, however if you do not have this readily available and cannot provide it I understand and will settle for the above source data.
Response
I can confirm that we hold information falling within scope of your request. However, we are unable to supply the information requested for the reasons set out below.
Information we are not able to supply
Section 44(1)(a) – restricted information under s82 PA04
As we have been given strong powers to demand documents and other information from trustees, employers and others, those powers are also balanced by restrictions on how we disclose the information provided to us. The type of information you have requested would be ‘restricted information’. Restricted information is defined at section 82(4) of the Pensions Act 2004 (PA04) as:
‘…information obtained by the Regulator in the exercise of its functions which relates to the business or other affairs of any person’.
Under section 82(5) of the PA04 it is a criminal offence to disclose such information except as permitted under that Act.
Whilst the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is based on the presumption of releasing information, section 44(1)(a) of the FOIA provides an absolute exemption to the requirement to disclose any information if its disclosure is prohibited by or under any enactment. In this case, section 82 of the PA04 prohibits disclosure and we are unable to disclose the requested information. This exemption is absolute and does not require a public interest assessment be undertaken.