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Pensions Bill

moved Amendment No. 99: 99: Clause 44, page 20, line 36, leave out subsection (3) The noble Lord said: I would like to return to the issue of the extent of the powers being given to the Pensions Regulator by this chapter. Actually it is another chapter—but never mind, we will forget about that for the moment. Clause 44 amends the Pensions Act 2004 to extend the regulator’s powers to enter premises to investigate compliance with this Bill. I accept that this clause does not actually add significant new powers to the regulator, because in the 2004 Act the regulator can enter premises to investigate compliance with the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999, particularly the duty of employers to facilitate access to stakeholder pension schemes. Why that was not thought of originally in 1999, I have no idea, but I suspect that the noble Lord does not either. Clause 44 just allows them to enter to investigate compliance with relevant parts of this Bill. This seems a good opportunity to probe how the Government intend the regulator to police employers’ compliance. Do they expect the majority of investigations to be sparked by jobholder complaints or, perhaps, rather ominously, by Her Majesty’s Customs and Revenue? How many investigators does the Pensions Regulator have now and how many extra does the Minister anticipate will be necessary to ensure compliance with auto-enrolment? I beg to move.