Age-Related Payments Bill
9:25 am
Mr Malcolm Wicks (Minister for pensions, Department for Work and Pensions; Croydon North, Labour)
I beg to move,
That—
(1) during proceedings on the Age-Related Payments Bill, in addition to its first meeting on Tuesday 25th May at 9.25 a.m., the Standing Committee shall meet on Tuesday 25th May at 2.30 p.m.;
(2) consideration of the Bill by the Committee shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 7 p.m. on Tuesday 25th May;
(3) it be a recommendation of the Standing Committee that proceedings on consideration and Third Reading should (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion three hours after the commencement of proceedings on consideration or, if earlier, at the moment of interruption.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Conway. I think that it is my first such experience. The Bill is short, but important. It has one clear and simple objective in mind. It has been agreed through the usual channels that the Committee does not need to sit for two days, but that two sittings today will be adequate. Optimists may consider that we could finish our deliberations on the Bill this morning but, looking at members of the Committee, I am more on the pessimistic side.