Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) (No.2) Bill

Debate between Jonathan Gullis and Margaret Ferrier

Committee stage
Wednesday 15th March 2023 Public Bill Committees

[Jonathan Gullis]

I am more than happy to do that, and to return later on to the clauses, Sir Christopher.

I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow East for his amendments, which I understand aim to remove the regulation-making power to reduce the age of automatic enrolment, and replace it with a new minimum age of 16 for automatic enrolment and re-enrolment, and make consequential amendments. I am grateful for his explanation as to why he believes a lower minimum age would be beneficial. I would certainly support sitting down and discussing it with him at a later date, but this Bill seeks to amend the legislative framework for automatic enrolment to deliver the measures set out in the 2017 AE review, which considered the matter of a lower minimum age, weighed the evidence and concluded that starting from age 18 was the right approach. I am not convinced by the hon. Member’s arguments to depart from that finding today. As he knows, the Bill gives regulation-making powers to the Secretary of State to lower the age, subject to a statutory review and the use of the affirmative procedure. He will therefore have a further opportunity to make his case to colleagues in this House and other stakeholders when that consultation takes place. I look forward to working with him on that. If I may, I will return to some wider comments—

[Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Ind)]

rose—

[The Chair]

Order. We are discussing the amendments only. We will have the opportunity to discuss things more generally when we get to clause stand part.