A new pension fund aimed at helping workers whose firms go bust will end the "scandal" of people losing out through no fault of their own, the Government has said.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) will come into effect on April 6, financed by a levy on occupational schemes which will raise hundreds of millions of pounds.

A pensions regulator will also start work the same day.

Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson said: "For more than ten million people in occupational pensions in Britain, the new fund and regulator will provide a new level of security for pensions."