Contributions
1,152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPension Schemes BillThe noble Baroness may do whichever she prefers.22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords for introducing their amendments. As this is the first time we are going to debate scale, let me first set out why we think scale…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillI was going to come on to that, but I am happy to do so now. Our evidence shows that across a range of domestic and international studies, a greater number of benefits can arise…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillI feel that we will have to agree to disagree on this point. The Government are not obsessed with scale; the Government believe that the evidence points to scale producing…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillI am sorry I did not namecheck the noble Viscount in responding to the second point. I intended to respond by pointing to the safeguards and the guardrails that have been built…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillI am going to explain a little bit about the consequences because the thing that matters most is the consequences. Amber schemes may be required to close to new employers. Red…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillI am absolutely not going to answer that. If there is answer which is known to me, then I will be happy to share it with her, but it certainly not known to me.22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords for introducing their amendments and for the debate that followed. The amendments rightly seek an assurance that the VFM framework is…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, I again thank the noble Baronesses, Lady Altmann and Lady Stedman-Scott, and all noble Lords who have spoken. Let me start with the amendments from the noble Baroness,…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken on this. I will start by addressing the proposed amendments to Clause 22. I will say at the start that we regard this…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, the broad, combined effect of these amendments would be to remove from the Bill the ability of the Government to require certain pension schemes to hold a prescribed…22 Jan 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillWe are still consulting on this. We consulted on the initial proposal and the response came back that more granularity was needed. We have to accept that clarity pulls in one…22 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewMy Lords, we are doing a number of different things. We are engaging in detail with stakeholders. We have already held 12 round tables, and we have engaged with business groups,…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewMy Lords, I have no idea. I will find out what is happening and, if there is anything out there, I am happy to write to the noble Lord with it. However, I tell him this: we had…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewMy Lords, the Government will consult with employers and those who are going to be affected to make sure that the implementation of the decisions Parliament has already made is…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewDespite discouragement from behind me, I am going to be gentle about this. The noble Baroness makes the important point that there is a lot out there to be learned. We are looking…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewThe noble Lord raises a very important point. I am pleased to say to him that, yes, the review is considering specifically whether the current support available meets the needs of…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for that and pay tribute to all the wonderful work she did on the Employment Rights Bill. The whole country has good reason to be grateful to…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewMy Lords, leave from day one is about the ability to give notice. For statutory maternity and paternity pay, there is already a significant period of qualification of working for…20 Jan 2026HANSARDParental Leave and Pay ReviewMy Lords, the parental leave and pay review launched on 1 July 2025, and we expect it to run for a period of 18 months. The review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of…20 Jan 2026