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Pensions Bill

We on these Benches support the amendment, and if the noble Lord chooses to press it to a Division we will support him. There is a fair element of motherhood and apple pie in it, but we Liberal Democrats are always in favour of that. I am not sure which of the team on the Official Opposition Front Bench represents the motherhood tendency and which the apple-pie tendency, but we are with them on this. As this is the first amendment, I want to say a word following the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, having pointed out how extremely complicated the Bill is. The more I looked through the amendments last night and thought about what we would say today, the more I thought that the Floor of the House was not the right place to hold this Committee stage. We on these Benches do not see why one party with 201 Peers out of 733—28 per cent—seems to have a complete veto on where Committee takes place. That same party has under 40 per cent of the non-government Peers. Operationally and practically, we would make better progress, have an interactive discussion with the Minister’s officials—they would be better able to deal with points as they arose—and make better law quicker if Committee on the Bill, like that for some of its predecessors, had been held in Grand Committee. Report gives plenty of opportunities to challenge and, if necessary, pass amendments on the Floor of the House. Having said that, we take no exception. We broadly support the new clause, and will support it in a vote if necessary.