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		Fury over government pensions blunder Friday, 28th April 2006 East Midlands constituents lose years of pension contributions after Government blunder Brussels – East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer, a member of the Parliament’s Petitions Committee, has expressed his concern over the state of UK pensions after meeting a British man who came to the European Parliament to appeal against the loss of his 38 year pension. Maurice Jones and more than 100,000 other UK citizens, many from the East Midlands have lost some or often their entire occupational pensions when their company pension scheme folded and are in danger of losing part of their state pensions too. Mr Jones, joined by investment expert and adviser to the pensions industry Dr Ros Altmann, addressed the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee and asked the Commission to intervene and demand that the UK government accept responsibility for this disaster. They argued that the UK government was in breach of EU law, and called for it to comply with EU directives. The UK Parliamentary Ombudsmen has recently published an assessment of the situation after a 16-month independent inquiry concluding that the pension losses suffered by Mr Jones and others throughout the region have been caused by the UK Government’s careless oversight of the pension system. Mr Helmer has been inundated with letters and complaints from concerned constituents in the East Midlands who have been affected by the government’s bungling. Speaking from Brussels today, Mr Helmer said. “Millions of employees were advised to take out company pensions, denied the right to take alternative pensions, and assured that their pension rights were safe. It is intolerable that after decades of contributions they should now lose out. If these were personal pensions provided by the financial services industry, the providers would be guilty of mis-selling. The government must now shoulder its responsibility”. Andrew Bingham, Conservative Party Spokesman for High Peak says this is one of the biggest issues facing people in the High Peak area. He said: “From July 2004, the Frodo pension collapse has been the one that has exercised more of my efforts than any other. There are many people in the High Peak like Mr. Jones who as victims through no fault of their own are living in fear for their retirement. “This Government has shown little or no concern for them other than the Pension Protection Fund which is not the cure all that they would have us believe. Gordon Brown’s continual robbery of pension funds since 1997 and their dismissal of the Parliamentary Ombudsman report says more about their attitude to these people than any grand words that they may offer.”