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Pensions Bill

moved Amendment No. 113R: 113R: Clause 75, page 37, line 7, at end insert ““at any time, and must do so no later than the end of 2013”” The noble Baroness said: This amendment would amend Clause 7, which in turn amends Section 23 of the Pensions Act 2007. We are keen to ensure that the public sector landscape does not get littered with time-expired quangos. During the passage of the 2007 Pensions Act we argued that a time limit should be put on PADA’s existence. Clause 75 updates the 2007 Act but still has no time limit. Accordingly, my Amendment No. 113R says that the Secretary of State can exercise his power to wind up PADA at any time, but must do so no later than the end of 2013. Since PADA's functions should run out broadly when the new personal accounts pension scheme and auto-enrolment are up and running, it should cease to exist at that point. We could have put 2012 as our drop dead date, but we are already aware that 2012 is looking aspirational at best. We debated that earlier. Therefore, we have put a one-year extension in our amendment. If the Minister has any reason for extending the life of PADA beyond 2013—other than his favourite all purpose reason of ““flexibility””—we should be very pleased to hear it. If PADA has not completed its functions by 2013, it will clearly have failed and ought not to be in existence. This deadline in legislation will remind PADA that it needs to get its job done and will also act as a spur to the Secretary of State to ensure that it does so. Amendment No. 139B is grouped with Amendment No.113R. I shall leave it to the Minister to speak to that amendment, but I hope that he can say why it appears to be positioned in a part of Schedule 9 which deals with safeguarded rights. I beg to move.