MNRPF – Ill Health Court Case

Since the 1st July 2022 these benefits have started to be paid out to members and following correspondence from the MNRPF Trustee Board we can report the following:

There are three categories of members who may be entitled to additional benefits:

Category A/B

Category A/B members are those who retired on an IHER pension on or after November 1989 and before 8 October 1993, and had an IHER pension either: n scaled back on retirement; and/or n their benefits reviewed after it came into payment and as a result was reduced or suspended.

We are advised that letters were sent out in June 2022 and August 2022 to Category A/B members proving details of the uplift in their pension. The Trustee wrote a final letter at the beginning of December provided details of how the payments would be made including tax issues.

Payments due to the estates for deceased members and deceased spouses

Following a tracing exercise carried out by the administrators of the MNRPF, Mercer, the Trustee is in the process of starting to contact close family of the deceased member to request details of the legal personal representatives of the estates of former members. This is to obtain the required information to make payments.

Category C

Category C are members who: n were in service on 8 October 1993, and had been in service long enough at that time to have qualified for an IHER pension (had new IHER pensions not been stopped on 8 October 1993); and n left service before Normal Pension Age due to permanent unfitness for sea service at the time they left service.

As part of the settlement agreement, it was agreed that three independent Appointed Persons would review the cases so that the Trustees could consider appeals made by members. Some cases considered by the Appointed Persons are randomly referred back to the Trustees so that they can consider whether or not the decisions are correct consistent.

The table below sets out the number of Category C cases that have been reviewed by the Appointed Persons up to 30th November 2022:

In respect of Category C members, the Trustee wrote to potential members who still have benefits in the Fund, to provide them with details of how to make a claim if they believed that they may be eligible. As required under the settlement, Mercer has written chasing letters for a third time to those members who have not yet responded. We will keep you informed of developments.

If members need further information about IHER benefits or anything else they should contact Mercer: Freephone helpline: 0800 197 6923.

House, Talbot Road, Stretford, Manchester M32 0FP. or by email mnrpf.mailings@mercer.com