Schedule 6 - Minor and consequential amendments
Employment
6:00 pm
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
The amendments are needed to correct drafting errors in paragraphs 7 and 13. I am willing—I would not say happy—to go into detail if necessary, but the Committee might be satisfied if I simply point out that the amendments ensure that legislation governing rates of statutory adoption pay is subject to the affirmative procedure, and that there is a clear process for increasing those rates in future as part of social security uprating. That has always been our intention for both adoption pay and paternity pay, and the Bill has achieved that aim in respect of the latter. However, we did not get matters right for adoption pay the first time round, and that is the issue with which the amendments deal.
Amendment agreed to.
Amendment made: No. 212, in page 68, line 9, leave out '171ZM(1)' and insert '171ZN(1)'.—[Alan Johnson.]