291

House of Commons

Thursday 7th February 2008

Public Bill Committee

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Other Amendments not tabled within the required notice period are marked thus

Pensions Bill

---

Note

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Order of the

Committee [15th January].

Mr Nigel Waterson

Andrew Selous

Mr Stewart Jackson

Mr John Greenway

Miss Julie Kirkbride

158

Clause  68,  page  32,  line  4,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

In section 1 (meaning of “stakeholder pension scheme”), omit subsections (7) and

(8).’.

Member’s explanatory statement

The purpose of this amendment is to amend the 1999 Welfare and Pensions Act by removing the

obligation for stakeholder pensions to accept transfer values, giving them discretionary freedom

to determine whether it is viable to accept certain low value funds.

Andrew Selous

Mr Nigel Waterson

182

Clause  68,  page  32,  line  24,  leave out ‘regular intervals’ and insert ‘intervals of less

than one year’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is to prevent employers from rescheduling payments to very long intervals to

avoid the requirement to make auto enrolled personal acount contributions.

Public Bill Committee: 7th February 2008

292

Pensions Bill, continued

Andrew Selous

Mr Nigel Waterson

185

Clause  69,  page  33,  line  20,  leave out ‘whether oral or’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment seeks to probe the nature of oral contracts of employment.

Andrew Selous

Mr Nigel Waterson

186

Clause  69,  page  33,  line  29,  leave out ‘whether it is oral or’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 185.

Andrew Selous

Mr Nigel Waterson

183

Clause  72,  page  34,  line  41,  at end add ‘or a Member of the House of Lords.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is to probe the position of staff employed by peers and MP’s.

Andrew Selous

Mr Nigel Waterson

184

Clause  73,  page  35,  line  7,  at end insert—

‘(c)	who is employed by a Member of Parliament.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 183.

Mr Nigel Waterson

Andrew Selous

Mr Stewart Jackson

Miss Julie Kirkbride

Mr John Greenway

6

Clause  74,  page  35,  line  21,  at end insert—

‘( )	subsection (1) shall not apply to any member of the reserve forces who is paid for

more than six months in any three-year period.’.

Public Bill Committee: 7th February 2008

293

Pensions Bill, continued

Mr Mike O’Brien

134

Clause  77,  page  36,  line  29,  leave out ‘or 6(3)’ and insert ‘, 6(3) or [Workers

without qualifying earnings](2)’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is related to New Clause 8. It extends the definition of “enrolment duty” to

include a duty under that New Clause.

Mr Mike O’Brien

142

Clause  77,  page  37,  line  12,  at end add—

‘“trustee or manager”—

(a)	in relation to England and Wales or Scotland, is to be construed in

accordance with section 178 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993 (c. 48)

(trustees and managers of schemes: interpretation);

(b)	in relation to Northern Ireland, is to be construed in accordance with

section 173 of the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993 (c. 49)

(trustees or managers of schemes);’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for Amendment 141.

Danny Alexander

Paul Rowen

112

Page  37,  line  20,  leave out Clause 79.

Member’s explanatory statement

The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that deferred pensions are not unfairly devalued.

Danny Alexander

Paul Rowen

113

Page  57,  line  10,  leave out Schedule 2.

Member’s explanatory statement

The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that deferred pensions are not unfairly devalued.

Mr Mike O’Brien

164

Clause  83,  page  39,  line  28,  after first ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Public Bill Committee: 7th February 2008

294

Pensions Bill, continued

Mr Mike O’Brien

165

Clause  83,  page  39,  line  28,  at end insert ‘, or provision contained in a qualifying

agreement,’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

166

Clause  83,  page  39,  line  30,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

167

Clause  83,  page  39,  line  31,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

168

Clause  83,  page  39,  line  33,  at end insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

169

Clause  84,  page  40,  line  10,  at end add—

‘(f)	a pension compensation sharing order under section 8 of the Family Law

(Scotland) Act 1985 (c. 37) (orders for financial provision);

(g)	any provision corresponding to provision which may be made by such an

order, and which—

(i)	is contained in a qualifying agreement between the parties to a

marriage or the partners in a civil partnership,

(ii)	is in such form as the Secretary of State may prescribe by

regulations, and

(iii)

takes effect on the grant, in relation to the marriage, of decree of

divorce or a declarator or nullity or (as the case may be) on the

grant, in relation to the civil partnership, of decree of dissolution

or of declarator of nullity,

except where the provision relates to the same rights to PPF

compensation as are the subject of an order made under section 12B(2)

of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985 (c. 37) (order for payment of

capital sum: pension compensation).

(2)	For the purposes of this Chapter, a qualifying agreement is an agreement which—

Public Bill Committee: 7th February 2008

295

Pensions Bill, continued

(a)	has been entered into in such circumstances as the Secretary of State may

prescribe by regulations, and

(b)	is registered in the Books of Council and Session.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This clause sets out sets out the possible orders a court could make which would trigger the new

pension compensation sharing scheme. The amendment extends the scheme to Scotland by adding

references to the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985 and to provision in qualifying agreements.

Mr Mike O’Brien

170

Clause  85,  page  40,  line  18,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

171

Clause  87,  page  41,  line  6,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Nigel Waterson

Andrew Selous

Mr Stewart Jackson

Miss Julie Kirkbride

Mr John Greenway

7

Clause  89,  page  41,  line  17,  leave out ‘4 months’ and insert ‘2 months.’.

Mr Mike O’Brien

172

Clause  89,  page  41,  line  24,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Public Bill Committee: 7th February 2008

296

Pensions Bill, continued

Mr Nigel Waterson

Andrew Selous

Mr Stewart Jackson

Miss Julie Kirkbride

Mr John Greenway

8

Clause  90,  page  41,  line  39,  at end insert ‘and transferor.’.

Mr Nigel Waterson

Andrew Selous

Mr Stewart Jackson

Miss Julie Kirkbride

Mr John Greenway

9

Clause  90,  page  42,  line  12,  leave out subsection (8).

Mr Nigel Waterson

Andrew Selous

Mr Stewart Jackson

Miss Julie Kirkbride

Mr John Greenway

10

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  24,  leave out paragraph (a).

Mr Mike O’Brien

173

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  32,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

174

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  32,  after ‘provision’ insert ‘(“provision for

apportionment”)’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

175

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  34,  at end insert ‘for apportionment’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Public Bill Committee: 7th February 2008

297

Pensions Bill, continued

Mr Mike O’Brien

176

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  35,  after ‘order’ insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

177

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  35,  leave out ‘such provision’ and insert ‘provision for

apportionment’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

178

Clause  91,  page  42,  line  39,  at end insert ‘or provision’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment to clause 84 which adds a reference to

provision contained in a qualifying agreement.

Mr Mike O’Brien

179

Clause  92,  page  43,  line  10,  at end insert—

‘(iv)

orders for financial provision under section 8 of the Family Law

(Scotland) Act 1985 (c. 37) (orders for financial provision);

(v)	provision as to pension sharing, or pension compensation

sharing, that is contained in an agreement that is a qualifying

agreement for the purposes of section 28(1)(b) and (c) of the

Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (c. 30) (activation of

pension sharing) or this Chapter.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment extends the power of the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring

information to be supplied by the Board of the Pension Protection Fund to Scotland, by reference

to orders for financial provision made under the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985 and provision in

qualifying agreements.

---

Revised 7 February 2008