Clause 40

Part of Pensions Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 5:00 pm on 29 January 2008.

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Photo of James Plaskitt James Plaskitt Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions 5:00, 29 January 2008

I think we are agreed, given what is being compiled here by way of pension records, that the keeping of records is a very important part of those arrangements, and we must have appropriate measures in place to ensure that employers are compliant with that. However, as we have said before and as I will say also on this clause, we are not setting out in any way to be unnecessarily burdensome to employers, hence the regulations will be designed to satisfy both objectives. We intend to set out in the regulations which records should be kept, the form or forms in which they should be kept and the period for which they should be kept. I think that, as it sets out the basic requirements, that guidance will be welcomed by employers. We can agree that it will be simpler and more efficient for both employers and the regulator if the minimum essential records are kept in a uniform manner. That will make it straightforward for employers to respond to the regulator’s requests for information.