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Pensions Bill

I thank the noble Baroness for her amendment. I suspect she has probably anticipated my response. Clause 7 completely undoes scheme membership and guarantees a refund to those jobholders who opt out. Active members of a workplace pension scheme may stop contributing at any time. I assure the Committee that Section 160 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993 will remain in force and that, when these reforms are in place, individuals will still be able to cancel active membership after the opt-out period ends. The noble Baroness’s proposition to put a separate process in the Bill is therefore unnecessary. It also adds to administration, which her noble friend is keen to avoid. There will be the ongoing right, embedded in existing pension scheme legislation, for people to withdraw from a pension scheme in accordance with that legislation and the rules of the scheme.