---

Postal Services Bill [HL]

Once again, the noble Lord, Lord Clarke, who spoke earlier about trust, like us appears to have similar concerns about the discrepancy between government promises and the drafting of the Bill. At Second Reading, the Secretary of State made a clear statement, echoing what had been published in his policy paper, that: ""At the point the historic liabilities are transferred to the new public scheme, we will leave the Royal Mail pension plan with sufficient assets to meet its liabilities".—[Official Report, 10/3/09; col. 1067.]" That seems completely unambiguous. The RMPP is to be left fully funded, albeit, as we have discussed, on the 2006 valuation. However, this is not what the Bill says. Clause 21(1) is equally clear that the Secretary of State is not to be held to the promises that he has made. According to the Bill, the Secretary of State must only make sure that the RMPP is not left with a worse ratio between its funding levels and its liabilities than before the relevant time. Which is it to be—the soothing promises of the Secretary of State or the wording of the primary legislation? If the Government intend to leave the RMPP fully funded, why have they not drafted the Bill in that way? This is just one more example of unnecessary and deeply concerning ambiguities in the drafting of this Bill. Do the Government intend that the RMPP should be fully funded or not? I beg to move.