Apologies—I am getting ahead of myself. The Minister talks about the financial assistance scheme. Changes are welcome, but many people’s schemes have been wound up when the company is not insolvent, and the scheme does nothing to help them. Has he given any consideration to what help, if any, can...

Apologies—I am getting ahead of myself. The Minister talks about the financial assistance scheme. Changes are welcome, but many people’s schemes have been wound up when the company is not insolvent, and the scheme does nothing to help them. Has he given any consideration to what help, if any, can...

I am just getting into my stride, but I will come to that at the end. The issue throughout has been whether we could make a clear difference between companies that were affected before the financial assistance scheme came into place and companies that are still trading today. We would...

I am just getting into my stride, but I will come to that at the end. The issue throughout has been whether we could make a clear difference between companies that were affected before the financial assistance scheme came into place and companies that are still trading today. We would...

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

Will the Secretary of State give way?

Will the Secretary of State give way?

I am not the Secretary of State, but I am happy to give way.

I am not the Secretary of State, but I am happy to give way.

New clause 38 deals with the important issue of failed company pensions and the financial assistance scheme. In my speech, I want to set out three things: first, how the scheme will now guarantee 80 per cent. of expected core pensions to all 125,000 people affected, in contrast to the...

New clause 38 deals with the important issue of failed company pensions and the financial assistance scheme. In my speech, I want to set out three things: first, how the scheme will now guarantee 80 per cent. of expected core pensions to all 125,000 people affected, in contrast to the...

I have listened carefully to what the Minister said and I still have a concern. He appears to be acknowledging that there is a group of people without pensions who will remain without pensions or assistance because of something that their employer has or has not done. The essential fairness...

I have listened carefully to what the Minister said and I still have a concern. He appears to be acknowledging that there is a group of people without pensions who will remain without pensions or assistance because of something that their employer has or has not done. The essential fairness...

I hope that I will be satisfied with that answer. The Minister will have to come up with a form of words, because at present new clause 38—the package that he has offered us today—does not have any provision for those solvent schemes. I have to be sure that the...

I hope that I will be satisfied with that answer. The Minister will have to come up with a form of words, because at present new clause 38—the package that he has offered us today—does not have any provision for those solvent schemes. I have to be sure that the...

My hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, West (Mr. Bailey) should let the hon. Gentleman finish, as many others want to get in.

My hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, West (Mr. Bailey) should let the hon. Gentleman finish, as many others want to get in.

The right hon. Member for Birkenhead is much more knowledgeable than I am, so I shall try to be as brief as possible. I shall give the House an example of personal dignity. I want to talk about a man who used to be a middle manager, earning between £30,000...

The right hon. Member for Birkenhead is much more knowledgeable than I am, so I shall try to be as brief as possible. I shall give the House an example of personal dignity. I want to talk about a man who used to be a middle manager, earning between £30,000...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way. I fully understand and sympathise with the emotions and intentions that he outlined, but there is something that puzzles me. Those emotions and intentions would be relevant if the people involved were getting no pension at all, yet we are really talking...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way. I fully understand and sympathise with the emotions and intentions that he outlined, but there is something that puzzles me. Those emotions and intentions would be relevant if the people involved were getting no pension at all, yet we are really talking...

I shall be generous to the hon. Gentleman and suggest that he take a quick look at the amount of money that some of these people need. The Minister has met Marlene Cheshire, as she was one of the group of widows to whom I referred earlier. At that time,...

I shall be generous to the hon. Gentleman and suggest that he take a quick look at the amount of money that some of these people need. The Minister has met Marlene Cheshire, as she was one of the group of widows to whom I referred earlier. At that time,...

I shall speak for only two minutes, as I know that other hon. Members with constituency interests also want to contribute to the debate. However, I shall begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Minister on his statement today and on the extension of the FAS scheme. The House has...

I shall speak for only two minutes, as I know that other hon. Members with constituency interests also want to contribute to the debate. However, I shall begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Minister on his statement today and on the extension of the FAS scheme. The House has...

I, too, will be brief. I want to support new clause 25 tabled by the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright). I very much welcome what the Minister said about assistance schemes this afternoon, although it is a pity that we do not have the provisions before us so...

I, too, will be brief. I want to support new clause 25 tabled by the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright). I very much welcome what the Minister said about assistance schemes this afternoon, although it is a pity that we do not have the provisions before us so...

I realise that for many Members the whole question of the administration of pension funds is extremely complex and detailed. I find it useful to refer back to the time when I started as a county councillor in Nottinghamshire. We had just appointed a chief executive—a person who, at that...

I realise that for many Members the whole question of the administration of pension funds is extremely complex and detailed. I find it useful to refer back to the time when I started as a county councillor in Nottinghamshire. We had just appointed a chief executive—a person who, at that...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson), who spoke very eloquently; and I support my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), who spoke with great passion and huge knowledge. I represent a significant number of former employees of the Albert...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson), who spoke very eloquently; and I support my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), who spoke with great passion and huge knowledge. I represent a significant number of former employees of the Albert...

I thank the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) for curtailing his comments, and I shall try to curtail mine. On 22 January 2002, I was fortunate enough to secure a debate in Westminster Hall that allowed me to raise the plight of more than 1,000 former workers of...

I thank the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) for curtailing his comments, and I shall try to curtail mine. On 22 January 2002, I was fortunate enough to secure a debate in Westminster Hall that allowed me to raise the plight of more than 1,000 former workers of...

I stood on a manifesto, defending the Dexion workers, in which we said that we would compensate them from the unclaimed assets. That was in our manifesto, and that is what we stood on.

I stood on a manifesto, defending the Dexion workers, in which we said that we would compensate them from the unclaimed assets. That was in our manifesto, and that is what we stood on.

I assure my hon. Friend that the wording will do exactly that. We have a basis on which we can move forward on both that point and on the issue of 80 per cent. for the people affected. The review will examine moving beyond that, and that is the exact...

I assure my hon. Friend that the wording will do exactly that. We have a basis on which we can move forward on both that point and on the issue of 80 per cent. for the people affected. The review will examine moving beyond that, and that is the exact...

This has been a good debate. Everyone in the House has sympathy for the people who have been affected. The Government are saying that we will put in taxpayers’ money so that people are paid out with at least 80 per cent. We are setting up a review to examine...

This has been a good debate. Everyone in the House has sympathy for the people who have been affected. The Government are saying that we will put in taxpayers’ money so that people are paid out with at least 80 per cent. We are setting up a review to examine...