S.C.A.
NOTICES OF AMENDMENTS
given up to and including
Friday 12th April 2002
New Amendments handed in are marked thus *
STANDING COMMITTEE A
STATE PENSION CREDIT BILL [LORDS]
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
9
*Clause 1, page 1, line 3, leave out 'state'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
18
*Clause 1, page 1, line 4, at end insert—
'(1A) State pension credit shall be publicised to the general public under the title "pension credit".'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
10
*Clause 1, page 1, line 5, leave out 'state'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
11
*Clause 1, page 1, line 11, leave out 'state'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
22
*Clause 1, page 1, line 20, leave out pararaph (a).
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
12
*Clause 1, page 1, line 22, leave out 'state'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
13
*Clause 1, page 1, line 23, leave out 'temporary'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
16
*Clause 1, page 2, line 4, at end add—
| '(c) | in the case of a woman or a man, if the definition of pensionable age set out in the rules in Paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Pensions Act 1995 is amended or rescinded then such other age as the Secretary of State may determine by regulations'. |
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
19
*Clause 1, page 2, line 4, at end add—
'(7) The Secretary of State shall as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year 2004-05 and as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year thereafter lay before Parliament a report setting out—
| (a) | the number of those entitled to the state pension credit; |
| (b) | the number of those entitled to— |
| (i) | the guarantee credit alone; |
| (ii) | the guarantee credit and the savings credit; and |
| (iii) | the savings credit alone; |
| (c) | the number of entitled persons claiming the credits set out in (a) and (b) above; |
| (d) | the take up in terms of expenditure in respect of each of the categories set out in (a) and (b) above; |
| (e) | details of the steps taken to encourage those entitled to state pension credit to make a claim for it, and of the steps to advise those making such claims; |
| (f) | representations made to the Secretary of State by the Social Security Advisory Committee or by such organisations as may seem to him representative of the interests of pensioners in connection with the operation of state pension credit.'. |
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
14
*Clause 2, page 2, line 24, leave out subsection (6).
Steve Webb
1
Clause 3, page 2, line 42, leave out 'age of 65' and insert 'qualifying age'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
15
*Clause 3, page 3, line 4, after 'threshold' insert 'or in a case where such income falls short, on account of inadequate contributions to attain a full retirement pension, then the qualifying income may be increased by regulation to take into account the extent to which such shortfall was unavoidable by the claimant.'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
21
*Clause 3, page 3, line 7, at end insert—
'(2A) The Secretary of State shall as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year 2004-05 and as soon as practicable after the end of each year thereafter lay before Parliament a report setting out—
| (a) | the number of persons with a withdrawal rate of 100 per cent. in respect of income beneath the savings credit threshold, and |
| (b) | the total value of the income concerned.'. |
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
25
*Clause 3, page 3, line 25, leave out subsection (6).
Steve Webb
2
Clause 3, page 3, line 26, at end insert—
'(6A) In the case of men aged under 65, such regulations shall provide that the calculation of qualifying income shall include an amount equal to the amount of retirement pension that the claimant has accrued at the time of the claim.'.
Steve Webb
3
Clause 3, page 3, line 26, at end insert—
'(6A) Such regulations may not apply to hospital in-patients.'.
Steve Webb
4
Clause 3, page 3, line 26, at end insert—
'(6A) For the purpose of calculating entitlement to a savings credit, the amount of qualifying income shall be increased for claimants with earnings by an amount to be prescribed in regulations.'.
As an Amendment to Steve Webb's proposed Amendment (No. 4) (Clause 3, page 3, line 26):
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
(a)
*Line 3, at end insert ', provided always that such increase shall not be less than the hourly rate of the national minimum wage for adults for the number of hours worked by that claimant.'.
Steve Webb
5
Clause 3, page 3, line 26, at end insert—
'(6A) Such regulations shall provide that, in the calculation of qualifying income, a claimant may substitute for his actual rate of retirement pension an amount equal to the rate of retirement pension that the claimant would have been entitled to if the provisions of paragraph 5(7) of Schedule 3 to the Contributions and Benefits Act (home responsibilities protection) had been in force since the claimant attained the age of 16.'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
23
*Clause 3, page 3, line 33, leave out subsection (8).
Steve Webb
6
Clause 3, page 3, line 34, at end add—
'(9) Regulations shall provide that any entitlement to savings credit shall be wholly disregarded by local authority social services departments when assessing entitlement to assistance with the costs of residential care.'.
Steve Webb
7
Clause 3, page 3, line 34, at end add—
'(9) The Secretary of State shall issue guidance to local authority social services departments on assessment of entitlement to assistance with the costs of residential care to persons in receipt of a savings credit.'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
20
*Clause 3, page 3, line 34, at end add—
'(9) The Secretary of State shall as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year 2004-05 and as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year thereafter lay before Parliament a report containing an assessment of the effect of the savings credit on the propensity of individuals to save for their retirement.'.
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
24
*Clause 4, page 3, line 43, leave out subsection (3).
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr James Clappison
17
*Clause 19, page 13, line 26, at end insert—
Mr Ian McCartney
8
Clause 22, page 14, line 23, leave out subsection (7).
NEW CLAUSES
Advice
Steve Webb
NC1
To move the following Clause:—
'(1) Regulations shall provide for the circumstances in which any individual seeking advice with regard to the state pension credit may receive that advice.
(2) Such regulations shall provide that such advice shall be—
| (a) | available on a face-to-face basis; |
| (b) | provided by a suitably qualified person; |
| (c) | available either at home in specified circumstances or else within a reasonable travelling distance of home; |
| (d) | provided within a reasonable period of time.'. |
Fraud
Mr Tim Boswell
Mr John Clappison
NC2
*To move the following Clause:—
'.The Secretary of State shall as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year 2004-05 and as soon as practicable after the end of each year thereafter lay before Parliament a report setting out—
| (a) | the extent of fraud in state pension credit claims; and |
| (b) | the measures he has taken to deal with fraudulent claims for state pension credit.'. |
