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Pensions Bill

moved Amendment No. 113T: 113T: Clause 76, page 38, line 24, leave out paragraphs (a) and (b) and insert ““, omit subsections (1), (2) and (4).”” The noble Lord said: Clause 76 removes the duty placed on employers under Section 3 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 to designate a stakeholder pension scheme for their employees. It is not appropriate for employers to comply with both the new obligations under the Bill and the current requirement to designate a stakeholder pension scheme. So we are removing the designation requirements, except for a transitional provision, which will allow those employees who are paying into their stakeholder pension through the payroll to continue to do so. That is all in Clause 76. We also want to take the opportunity to remove some unnecessary provisions that remain in Section 6 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999. Amendments Nos. 113T and 139ZE will do exactly that. The Pensions Act 2004 amended the definition of an ““occupational pension scheme”” in the Pension Schemes Act 1993 and consequently gave employees of trust-based stakeholder schemes the same rights and protection afforded to their counterparts in occupational schemes. We are, therefore, taking this opportunity to remove Sections 6(1) and 6(2), which make specific provisions to protect employees of trust-based stakeholder schemes, as these subsections are now redundant. I beg to move.