Blueprint
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of
Announcement: 19 January 2018
BT Group plc
(Translation
of registrant's name into English)
BT
Group plc
81 Newgate
Street
London
EC1A 7AJ
England
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form
20-F..X...
Form 40-F
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information
to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes
No ..X..
This announcement contains inside information.
COURT RULES RPI REMAINS THE RELEVANT INDEX FOR PENSION INCREASES IN
SECTION C OF BT PENSION SCHEME
In
December 2017, we sought a decision from the High Court as to
whether it would be possible to change the index used to calculate
pension increases paid in the future to members of Section C of the
BT Pension Scheme (BTPS) from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to
another index.
The
High Court has handed down the judgment today which confirms that
it is currently not possible to change from RPI to another
index. We are disappointed with the decision and will now
consider the judgment in detail in order to decide next steps,
including the possibility of an appeal. The relevant index for
pension increases for members in Sections A and B of the BTPS
remains unchanged as the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Other pension matters
The
triennial valuation is proceeding and constructive discussions
continue with the BTPS Trustee and we still expect to complete the
valuation in the first half of the 2018 calendar year.
We
continue to review the future pension benefits under our main
defined benefit and defined contribution schemes in the UK, with
the objective of providing fair, flexible and affordable pensions.
We have just completed a consultation with our affected employees
and are now considering their feedback before concluding the
review.
Note:
The
membership of the BTPS as at 31 March 2017 is analysed
below:
|
|
Active
members
|
Deferred
members
|
Pensioners
|
Total
|
|
Sections A and B
|
11,500
|
25,500
|
176,000
|
213,000
|
|
Section C
|
21,000
|
38,500
|
23,500
|
83,000
|
|
Total
|
32,500
|
64,000
|
199,500
|
296,000
|
-
Ends -
The
person responsible for making this announcement is Dan Fitz, BT's
Company Secretary.
For
more information, visit www.btplc.com
Enquiries
|
Press office:
|
|
|
Dan
Thomas
|
Tel:
020 7356 5369
|
|
|
|
|
Investor relations:
|
|
|
Mark
Lidiard
|
Tel:
020 7356 4909
|
About BT
BT's
purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better
world. It is one of the world's leading providers of communications
services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its
principal activities include the provision of networked IT services
globally; local, national and international telecommunications
services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move;
broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged
fixed-mobile products and services. BT consists of six
customer-facing lines of business: Consumer, EE, Business and
Public Sector, Global Services, Wholesale and Ventures, and
Openreach.
For the
year ended 31 March 2017, BT Group's reported revenue was
£24,062m with reported profit before taxation of
£2,354m.
British
Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT
Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of
the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London
and New York.
For
more information, visit www.btplc.com
Signatures
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BT Group plc
(Registrant)
By: /s/
Dan Fitz, Company Secretary
--------------------
Dan
Fitz, Company Secretary.
Date
19 January 2018