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2.46 pm

Kevin Brennan (Cardiff, West) (Lab): I, too, welcome the Bill and join in the praise that has been heaped upon the Secretary of State for introducing it. It is a brave, timely and necessary measure. At the same time as praising the Government for introducing the Bill, it is important to praise the workers from Allied Steel and Wire and other companies, many of whom travelled to Westminster today and whose triumph is that they have campaigned, made the case for, used persuasion in a responsible manner—often with great assistance from their trade unions and constituency Members—and persuaded a Government prepared to listen that something must be done about the problem of pension protection. The Government should be praised for changing their mind, having listened to the evidence.

Sandra Osborne: Does my hon. Friend agree that for those who have been active in the campaign for the introduction of the pension protection fund, it would be rather silly not to support the Second Reading of a Bill that would achieve that for the future, no matter how concerned we are about those who have already lost out?

Kevin Brennan: My hon. Friend makes an important case. I was surprised when I heard last night that the Conservative Opposition intended to oppose Second Reading. By doing that—it is becoming more common under their new leadership—they reveal that they have forgotten the distinction between responsible opposition and irresponsible opportunism. That is what we see in their opposition to the Bill on Second Reading. They are opposing it only because they are grandstanding on the issue. I regret that, because we

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need some measure of cross-party discussion of the matter and some measure of agreement across the House about how we fix the problem, which affects so many of our constituents.

Tony Lloyd: Will my hon. Friend give way?

Kevin Brennan: I am happy to give way. Last week, the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) called me "the intervention king", so I am happy to show him that I am also prepared to give way to other Members.

Tony Lloyd: The intervention king has taken two interventions in not many more minutes. I found the speech from the Opposition spokesman interesting because it contained so little that was positive about what the Opposition were proposing, and so little that was negative about what the Government were proposing, that it was hard to understand why they intend to vote against the Bill. My hon. Friend made an important point. We need some cross-party agreement on the future, particularly if there is to be a rescue scheme for the pensioners who have lost out. It must be guaranteed not only by the Government who announce it, but by all successive Governments. May I, through my hon. Friend, press the Opposition spokesman who is to reply to the debate to make it clear that they will be members of that all-party grouping, so that we can give those outside the confidence that their pensions will be guaranteed?

Kevin Brennan: My hon. Friend makes an important point. I hope that the Opposition's position will be clarified during the wind-ups, although I suspect that Labour Members are not holding their breath.

My interest in this matter was triggered particularly by the case of Allied Steel and Wire, which affects many of my constituents. Speaking from personal experience, as the son of a steelworker who worked at Llanwern steelworks in the constituency of my right hon. Friend the Member for Newport, East (Alan Howarth), I would have been outraged had my father been subject to what has happened to many of our constituents—if, after working for 20 years in those steelworks, he had left only to be told that his pension was worthless. We would all be outraged if that happened to a member of our family, and we are similarly outraged when it happens to others, whether they are our constituents or those of other hon. Members.

The Bill is an excellent step forward. I particularly welcome the establishment of a pensions regulator with teeth, which is a part of the Bill that we do not talk about enough, but which is very important in making the pension protection fund work properly. We need to rid occupational pensions of their dodgy reputation and give them a reputation for being safe, sound places where people can put their savings for retirement.

There are three basic reasons for giving some sort of assistance to workers who have lost out as a result of their company becoming insolvent: the moral case, which hon. Members have outlined; the legal case, which we cannot talk much about in this place—I sometimes think that we have too many lawyers here when I read amendments that are framed in dry legalese instead of addressing real human concerns—and the public interest argument, which is ultimately unbeatable.

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On the moral case, we have here, in effect, a case of breach of promise. One has to ask what steps any reasonable, rational human being would take if they were saving for a pension in their retirement, and what is the minimum protection that they would have the right to expect from the state in that regard. A worker from Allied Steel and Wire in Cardiff who joined its scheme 25 years ago would have been compelled to do so as a condition of employment. As the state permitted that compulsion, it bears some responsibility for the consequences. If the worker was of a sceptical nature, he might think, "Hang on a minute; I don't like buying a pig in a poke", and take a deeper look at what they were getting themselves into. A reasonable, rational human being might think that he should do a bit of research to see what, for example, the National Association of Pension Funds says about the subject. One of its recent leaflets says that defined benefit schemes make

"a promise of a guaranteed pension based on the number of years you are a member of the scheme".

If the person read on, they would be told:

"The promised pension is not affected by the level of investment returns or interest rates as all these risks are borne by your employer."

I think that that would be enough to satisfy me, but if I was a doubting Thomas I might want to see more evidence about these so-called guaranteed pensions and go on to read a leaflet from the Financial Services Authority called, "FSA Guide to Pensions: Reasons for joining an occupational pension scheme if you can". It states:

"In a final salary scheme, you know broadly how much pension you'll get (as a proportion of your earnings before retirement). This makes it easier to plan for retirement."

That further reassurance might have satisfied me, but I might have gone on to look at what the Department for Work and Pensions had to say. I am not sure what it said in the distant past, when many people would have taken the trouble to find out, but it said recently:

"Should I join my employer's occupational pension scheme?


Occupational pensions are usually a very good deal".

That might have satisfied me, because although I would not necessarily want a very good deal for my pension, a good deal or a reasonable deal might be sufficient. But that information nowhere states: "You should be very wary, because if you join a final salary occupational pension scheme you are betting your retirement on one share—namely, the share of your employer." That is what the current situation permits. People who were originally compelled to join a scheme could have read all that advice, but never have been given a health warning that they were effectively being asked to bet their retirement on one share.

If the worker was still sceptical, he might read his own company's documentation. The leaflet from Allied Steel and Wire in Sheerness, which is in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Mr. Wyatt), says:

"What benefits does the Fund offer?


The benefits of the ASW Sheerness Steel Group Pension Fund are comprehensive:


A guaranteed pension on retirement, which increases each year to help protect it from inflation".

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I defy anyone reading that body of evidence to point to the health warning. It represents a promise, implicit if not explicit—I think that it was explicit—from Government, from quangos, from the Financial Services Authority and from employers. Any reasonable, rational human being who looked at that evidence would anticipate that their pension benefits were guaranteed.

Leaving aside the moral question for a moment, I turn to the legal question. Workers' pensions are supposed to be protected under the European insolvency directive. I shall not go into detail on that because the case may well end up in the courts. I merely ask my hon. Friends this: why should we line the pockets of lawyers in taking this case on, whatever the legal advice turns out to be; pay double the financial penalty in having to do so; and ultimately face a political penalty for not having assisted when we had the opportunity?

The third reason for giving assistance is that it is in the public interest. I recognise the danger that this issue may drown out the good news about the measures in my right hon. Friend's Bill and undermine public confidence in occupational pensions at a time when he is trying hard to strengthen it. I do not want to do that. However, public confidence will not be restored if, after the passage of this Bill, 50,000 or 60,000 workers say to their colleagues of the pension protection fund: "Don't believe the promise that you will get a guaranteed pension if things go wrong—look what happened to me." That is what they will say if there is not some form of assistance and some acceptance of responsibility.

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