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Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

The hon. Gentleman makes a forceful point. I can see no reason why there should be a disparity between this scheme and the schemes that he has just mentioned. There is also a degree of confusion—which the Secretary of State might be able to resolve—about exactly when pensions will move into IPSA's competence. In the written ministerial statement from the Leader of the House on 10 December, the Government said that they would bring forward legislation""to give IPSA the power to set, as well as to administer, the MPs' pay system, after consulting the Senior Salaries Review Body. The powers for both pay and pensions would therefore take effect in 2011-12".—[Official Report, 10 December 2009; Vol. 502, c. 35WS.]" I understand the need for IPSA to consult the SSRB before making its first determination on pay, as set out in proposed new section 4A(7), but does it follow that pensions would therefore take effect in the same year? And where in the Government's amendments do they set out when IPSA should start determining the structure of MPs' pensions? As drafted, new schedule 9 seems to take effect immediately after Royal Assent is granted, rather than in 2011-12. Before I finish, I wish to make one final point on the general scope of this debate. Today, we are focusing on building in improvements to the disciplinary regime by, among other things, strengthening the Members' code of conduct. But, despite the behaviour of members of the Government being of just as much public interest as that of Members of this House, we are going to make no change whatever to the second code of conduct—that relating to Ministers. The policing of Ministers lags far behind the policing of the House in terms of transparency, independence and reprisals. At present, the ministerial code is overseen by the Prime Minister, who can decide whether to refer a matter to his independent adviser and whether to publish any report. Neither procedure has ever been invoked, even though there have been several opportunities to do so. In the past, the adoption of tougher measures in the code of conduct for Members has led to pressure being applied to representatives in other institutions—for instance, Members of the European Parliament and peers. I hope that today's debate will allow us to return soon to the issue of the ministerial code of conduct, so that greater accountability can be introduced into the system.