Monday Volume 597 22 June 2015 No. 20 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 22 June 2015 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2015 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 595 22 JUNE 2015 596 Justin Tomlinson: Our success to date in implementing House of Commons automatic enrolment could not have been achieved without the significant ongoing support of a number of Monday 22 June 2015 sectors, including the pensions and payroll industries. Friends of automatic enrolment have played a crucial role in bringing together organisations that are playing The House met at half-past Two o’clock a key role in delivering automatic enrolment. Together they have helped the Government improve the process of automatic enrolment and ensure that these reforms PRAYERS work. We thank them for their support so far and their commitment to continuing to work with us as we start the process of helping 1.3 million smaller employers [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] implement automatic enrolment for their workers. Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): But BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS will the Minister advise the House of his estimate of the number of workers who are excluded from the benefit SESSIONAL RETURNS of auto-enrolment because of the changes in the threshold Ordered, over the past five years, and what proportion of those That there be laid before this House Returns for Session workers are women? 2014-15 of information and statistics relating to: (1) Business of the House; Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State is required by law to review the automatic enrolment thresholds in (2) Closure of Debate, Proposal of Question and Allocation of Time (including Programme Motions); each tax year and may take into account a range of prescribed factors. The review can include considering (3) Sittings of the House; whether to lower or increase the thresholds or leave (4) Private Bills and Private Business; them unchanged, as was the case for the current tax (5) Public Bills; year. Freezing the trigger for this tax year will result in (6) Delegated Legislation and Legislative Reform Orders; approximately 14,000 additional women and 20,000 (7) European Legislation, etc; people overall being brought into pension savings. On (8) Grand Committees; the hon. Gentleman’s specific point, I am happy to (9) Panel of Chairs; and write to him with further information. (10) Select Committees.—(The Chairman of Ways and Means.) 18. [900457] Nigel Mills (Amber Valley) (Con): I welcome the Minister to his post. One way of boosting auto-enrolment further would Oral Answers to Questions be to ensure that people were more confident when they came to access their savings that they had the full range of choices that the law now allows. What more can the Minister do to encourage pension funds to offer that WORK AND PENSIONS full range at an affordable and fair price? Justin Tomlinson: I am encouraged by the fact that The Secretary of State was asked— 91% of people who have already been auto-enrolled have continued to save, which is a welcome step and Private Sector Pensions (Automatic Enrolment) above initial expectations. We will continue to work with the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator to ensure that flexibilities, 1. Julian Knight (Solihull) (Con): What assessment he information and charges are all delivering for the consumer. has made of the effects of automatic enrolment on private sector pension saving. [900440] Ian Blackford (Ross, Skye and Lochaber) (SNP): When it comes to the reforms that the Government are The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work putting through, particularly on pension freedoms, we and Pensions (Justin Tomlinson): More than 5.2 million are mindful of the attractions of consumer choice but workers have been automatically enrolled in a workplace also of all the mis-selling scandals of the past. What pension by their employer to date. Since the start of assurances can the Minister give that all defined- automatic enrolment, workplace pension membership contribution plan holders will get appropriate advice in the private sector has risen from 32% in 2012 to 49% and that consumers will be adequately protected? It is in 2014, a very positive start. not clear to us that the appropriate measures are in place. Julian Knight: With 135,000 firms set to auto-enrol Justin Tomlinson: As I said in response to the previous their employees from January, does my hon. Friend question, we will work with the Treasury, the FCA and agree that the work of non-governmental groups such the Pensions Regulator to monitor that closely. We have as the Solihull-based Chartered Institute of Payroll also brought in a 0.75% cap on charges, which in time Professionals is key to the successful delivery of auto- will allow an extra £200 million to remain in pension enrolment and to meeting the savings challenge of 11 million savings. Britons who are currently failing to put enough away for their retirement? Mr Speaker: I call Adrian Bailey. Not here. 597 Oral Answers22 JUNE 2015 Oral Answers 598 Disability Confident Campaign Through such campaigns as Disability Confident, we hope to inspire more businesses to take on more people 4. Chloe Smith (Norwich North) (Con): What with disabilities. We rejoice in the fact that, over the past progress his Department has made on the Disability 12 months, an extra 238,000 disabled people were in Confident campaign. [900443] work. 12. Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty) (Con): What Grahame M. Morris (Easington) (Lab): What support progress his Department has made on the Disability is the Minister offering to specialist and locally based Confident campaign. [900451] employment organisations such as Northern Rights in my constituency and the East Durham Employability Trust? The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work They have a proven track record of supporting disabled and Pensions (Justin Tomlinson): The Disability Confident people and people with multiple barriers into work, but campaign continues to play a crucial role in the have frequently found it very difficult to access funding Government’s aim of halving the disability gap. It has from the Department for Work and Pensions. secured support from 360 employers and pledges from 98 organisations to positively change employment practices Justin Tomlinson: Again, having met with stakeholders, towards disabled staff. Many colleagues are hosting I can say that local initiatives are clearly key. Each of constituency events, including my hon. Friend the Member our individual constituencies has different challenges for Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) who did so last and opportunities. Part of the Disability Confident week. campaign is sharing best practice. I would be keen to hear more of the good work going on in the hon. Chloe Smith: Norwich for Jobs, the youth employment Gentleman’s constituency. campaign that I founded in Norwich, has hit its goal of helping to halve youth unemployment. We want to turn Dr Tania Mathias (Twickenham) (Con): As part of the power of that local network towards helping young the Disability Confident campaign, will the Minister people who are claiming employment and support work with organisations such as United Response, which allowance. Will the Minister join me in calling on Norwich does excellent work in my constituency with people who companies to give a young disabled person a chance? have learning difficulties such as autism, which the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman) mentioned, Justin Tomlinson: I am delighted to hear of the success so that people with learning difficulties go into every my hon. Friend has achieved in her constituency with kind of job and all public service? Some are councillors. Norwich for Jobs. That is exactly the kind of local I want more people with learning difficulties to put initiative that I welcome, and to which I am pleased to themselves forward to be councillors and Members of add my support. In addition, I hope that her local Parliament. authority, local enterprise partnership and business community do all they can to help to promote that Justin Tomlinson: That is why we launched the Disability fantastic scheme. Confident campaign and why we will continue to drive it forward. I met Liz Sayce of Disability Rights UK. Nigel Adams: Will the Minister join me in thanking She made it very clear to me: she said that, too often, all the employers and speakers who contributed to my disabled people are seen as recipients when they want to first Disability Confident conference in Selby a couple be net contributors. Local initiatives, sharing best practice, of weeks ago? It was an extremely worthwhile event to busting the myths and ensuring that people see what a organise. Many of those employers will join me for my huge amount of talent is available will continue to help fifth jobs fair in October. I was particularly pleased to drive up disability employment rates. because we had a bit of stardust at the event—Pamela Uddin, the star of the BBC’s “The Apprentice”, shared Personal Independence Payments her experiences of coping with dyslexia. Justin Tomlinson: I am aware of the very successful 5. Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): event my hon. Friend organised. I congratulate him on What assessment he has made of the implications for the quality of the speakers he secured—it certainly his Department of the High Court ruling in June 2015 shows that he is no apprentice. We need employers to on delays in personal independence payments. [900444] see that recruiting and retaining disabled people should be the norm, and that disabled people have a great deal The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work to offer in the workplace.