---

Saving Gateway Accounts Bill

The noble Baroness’s amendment would put more details of the residency requirements for the scheme in the Bill, and make the Bill expressly provide that, to be eligible for a saving gateway account, a person must be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. In the Bill, to be eligible a person must, as well as being entitled to a qualifying benefit or tax credit, have a connection with the UK that will be prescribed by regulation. The draft regulations essentially set out that a person will have the prescribed connection with the UK if they are, or are deemed to be, ordinarily resident in the UK. We have taken the power to define the connection with the UK in regulations, rather than doing so in the Bill, in order to provide the flexibility to respond to any future changes in residency requirements in other areas and definitions underpinning the concept of ordinary residence, without the need for further primary legislation. The amendment would remove such flexibility. Any regulations about eligibility for the saving gateway will of course be subject to the affirmative procedure. I therefore hope that the noble Baroness will withdraw her amendment.