Matt Rodda: Q In summary, are you saying that a very large proportion of the cost of the levy is falling on pension savers who are on low incomes and whose assets form a small part of the overall sector?
Matt Rodda: Q Thank you for explaining that so clearly to the Committee. I wonder whether I might ask Dame Elizabeth a short question as well. In your view, Dame Elizabeth, should there be a wider explanation of the rights of consumers in relation to the regulatory failure that we have heard about today?
Matt Rodda: Exploration, sorry. Should there be a wider exploration of this issue?
Matt Rodda: Q Is there a need for a broader review of regulatory failure?
Matt Rodda: Q Well, thank you for trying to explore the issue. I appreciate your expertise in this matter. Finally, I want to turn to Mr Agathangelou—I apologise if I have mispronounced your name. You talked about catastrophic failure across the system. I am particularly interested in the issue of pensions, and obviously we are talking about the wider financial services system. I wonder whether you...
Matt Rodda: Q Thank you, Ms Ghani. Thank you, Mr Taylor, for your evidence. First, could you reflect on the lessons that need to be learned, following the imposition of pension freedoms? It seems to me that the sector is addressing a series of quite difficult problems that should have been better anticipated when the freedoms were introduced.
Matt Rodda: Q Perhaps I can address this in a different way. This is a broader question about the nature of the levy. Did you and your colleagues look at other models for the design of the levy? Could you explain the process you went through in coming up with the levy as currently designed?
Matt Rodda: Q What work did you do to explore the effects of the levy on particular schemes? Certain schemes seem to bear a very high cost.
Matt Rodda: I thank the witnesses for their time in giving evidence this morning. Q As the shadow pensions Minister, I have a series of questions on pensions, but I preface them by pointing out to those watching proceedings today who are not pensions experts that there have been some absolutely dreadful pensions scams.
Matt Rodda: I will move through them rapidly. To what extent do the witnesses believe that pensions scams are a tangible risk to the future of people’s retirement in the UK?
Matt Rodda: Q What further action would you like to see taken following the terrible problems created by the introduction of pensions freedoms without further regulation associated with it?
Matt Rodda: Q What further resources do you need to help to tackle scams? In particular, is there a need for a major Government information campaign to alert savers?
Matt Rodda: I thank the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Jonathan Gullis) for advocating a similar policy to that of my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Dame Margaret Hodge) when she was Chair of the Education Committee in 2000. We should respect the fact that there is general agreement in this House that one of the first duties of any Government is to invest in education and our...
Matt Rodda: It is a pleasure to be able to speak in this important debate today. I would like to cut to the chase, because time is short. I think it is worth reiterating the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard): we do face a climate emergency and an ecological emergency. Put simply, these are existential threats to humanity on this planet. We must, as...
Matt Rodda: It is a pleasure to be able to contribute this afternoon. I want to address two areas; the first is my deep concerns about the Government’s planning Bill in the Queen’s Speech. I would like to reiterate the points made by our Front-Bench team and, in particular, to highlight some local issues in Reading and Berkshire, which one of the other Berkshire MPs here has hinted at. I am afraid...
Matt Rodda: Some 200,000 women who worked hard and paid their taxes all their lives have been underpaid their state pensions. It is an absolute scandal. I welcome the announcement that the DWP is trying to repay the money owed to these women, who have been so badly let down, but the repayments are being made far too slowly. Will the Minister confirm how many repayments were made last month and when the...
Matt Rodda: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Neil Coyle), and indeed the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (David Simmonds), for having secured this important debate. In addition, I would like to thank a number of local groups within Reading and Woodley, particularly Reading Refugee Support...
Matt Rodda: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Mr Dhesi), my Berkshire colleague, for securing the debate. He made a very interesting contribution. His comments were thoughtful and powerful, and I found the whole tone of the debate interesting and, in many ways, quite humbling. I agree with what has been said by many Members,...
Matt Rodda: I want to offer my support to the shadow Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing North (James Murray), who put his case very fairly. I want to illustrate what that means in my constituency of Reading East and perhaps develop some of the points he made. I particularly want to raise the growth in the use of food banks, which has been very significant across the country, and our area is...
Matt Rodda: It is an honour to have the opportunity to speak in the debate and add my tribute to those made by Members across the House. I think we have all been moved by the warm and touching tributes made today, and I hope that the Queen and the royal family will be able to take some comfort from the deep affection for Prince Philip in this House. I have particularly enjoyed listening to some of the...