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Question put and agreed to.
Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. David Amess, Mr. Simon Burns, Mr. Howard Flight, Mr. David Atkinson, Mr. Michael Clapham, Mr. Andrew Rosindell, Andrew Selous, Mr. Richard Spring, Tom Cox, Janet Anderson and Dr. Ian Gibson.
Mr. David Amess accordingly presented a Bill to establish need and safety tests before telecommunications masts can be erected; to amend the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the General Permitted Development Order 1995; and for connected purpose: And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time on Friday 18 June, and to be printed [Bill 112].
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Orders of the Day
Pensions Bill
As amended in the Standing Committee, further considered.
New Clause 34
'(1) The Secretary of State must make provision, by regulations, for a scheme for making payments to, or in respect of, qualifying members of qualifying pension schemes ("the financial assistance scheme").
(2) For the purposes of this section—
"qualifying member", in relation to a qualifying pension scheme, means a person—
(a) who, at such time as may be prescribed, is a member of the scheme in respect of whom the scheme's pension liabilities are unlikely to be satisfied in full because the scheme has insufficient assets, or
(b) who, at such time as may be prescribed, had ceased to be a member of the scheme and in respect of whom the scheme's pension liabilities were not satisfied in full, before he ceased to be such a member, because the scheme had insufficient assets,
and in respect of whom prescribed conditions are satisfied at such time as may be prescribed;
"qualifying pension scheme" means an occupational pension scheme (including such a scheme which has been fully wound up)—
(a) which, at such time as may be prescribed, is not—
(i) a money purchase scheme, or
(ii) a scheme of a prescribed description,
(b) the winding up of which began during such period as may be prescribed, and
(c) the employer in relation to which satisfies such conditions as may be prescribed at such time as may be prescribed;
"scheme's pension liabilities", in respect of a member of a qualifying pension scheme, means the liabilities of the scheme to, or in respect of, the member in respect of pensions or other benefits (including increases in pensions),
and a qualifying pension scheme has or had, insufficient assets if the assets of the scheme are, or were, insufficient to satisfy in full the liabilities of the scheme calculated in the prescribed manner.
(3) Regulations under subsection (1) may, in particular, make provision—
(a) for the financial assistance scheme to be managed by the Secretary of State, a body established by or for the purposes of the regulations or such other person as may be prescribed;
(b) for the person who manages the financial assistance scheme ("the scheme manager") to hold (whether on trust or otherwise), manage and apply a fund in accordance with the regulations or, where the fund is held on trust, the deed of trust;
(c) for the property, rights and liabilities of qualifying pension schemes to be transferred to the scheme manager in prescribed circumstances and for the trustees or managers of a qualifying pension scheme in respect of which such a transfer has occurred to be discharged from prescribed liabilities;
(d) prescribing the circumstances in which payments are to be made by the scheme manager to, or in respect of, qualifying members of qualifying pension schemes and
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the manner in which the amount of any payment is to be determined, and, where the fund is held by the fund manager on trust, the circumstances and manner may be prescribed by reference to the deed of trust;
(e) authorising the Secretary of State—
(i) where he is not the scheme manager, to pay grants to the scheme manager;
(ii) where he is the scheme manager, to pay amounts into the fund held by him in accordance with the regulations;
(iii) to pay grants to other prescribed persons in connection with the financial assistance scheme;
(f) prescribing the circumstances in which amounts are to be paid into or out of the fund held by the scheme manager;
(g) conferring functions in relation to the financial assistance scheme on the Pensions Regulator or the Board of the Pension Protection Fund;
(h) providing for a person to exercise a discretion in dealing with any matter in relation to the financial assistance scheme;
(i) applying any provision of Part 1 or 2 with such modifications as may be prescribed;
and such regulations may make different provision for different cases or descriptions of case and include such incidental, supplementary, consequential or transitional provision as appears to the Secretary of State to be expedient.
(4) Any amount which, by virtue of subsection (3)(e), the Secretary of State pays under regulations under subsection (1) is to be paid out of money provided by Parliament.
(5) A time or period prescribed under subsection (2) may fall (or, in the case of a period, wholly or partly fall) at a time before the passing of this Act.
(6) Nothing in this section prejudices the operation of section 272 (subordinate legislation (general provisions)).'.
Brought up, and read the First time.
1.44 pm
The Minister for Pensions (Malcolm Wicks): I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Sylvia Heal): With this it will be convenient to take the following:
Amendment (d) to the proposed new clause, line 7, after 'prescribed', insert
'(irrespective of the time at which the winding up of the scheme took place)'.
Amendment (e) to the proposed new clause, line 10, after 'prescribed', insert
'(irrespective of the time at which the winding up of the scheme took place)'.
Amendment (a) to the proposed new clause, line 73, at end add—
'( ) The first payments from the financial assistance scheme shall be made within six months of the coming into force of this Act;'.
Amendment (b) to the proposed new clause, line 73, at end add—
'( ) Schemes where the qualifying pension scheme was closed whilst the sponsoring employer was solvent shall be qualifying pension schemes for the purpose of this section;'.
Amendment ((a)) to amendment (b); in line 1, after 'closed', insert
'up until 14th May 2004'.
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