Clause 12 - Annual reports to Secretary of State
Pensions Bill
4:15 pm
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne, Conservative)
I said earlier in a different context that I did not regard myself as being in a drafting competition, which is just as well because the amendments that I drafted were miserably inappropriate and were not selected. I suppose that they were out of order. I shall deal with those on stand part.
We agree that a report is a good idea. Every day every one of us gets lots of glossy reports from all manner of organisations, and we read them carefully before consigning them to the circular filing cabinet. I agree with the Minister that it is important, particularly in the early years, that what the regulator does is set out in an annual report. We have no quarrel with that. However, we want to make two changes. First, we want those reports made not to the Secretary of State, but to Parliament. They are so important that they should be made directly to Parliament. Secondly, we want the reports to be debatable. The Government should provide time every year for a debate on them so that we can all see how our new creation—not least the determinations panel—is getting on. I shall be following the panel's career with a closeness that defies belief.