Equitable Life (Payments) Bill

Philip Davies Excerpts

Tuesday 14th September 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hoban]

I shall give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies).

[Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con)]

Nobody is keener than me for the Government to save money and get the finances back on track, and I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to give him some of my ideas about how we can do that. However, I hope that the Government, having made commitments to people while in opposition, will not use the argument that there is no money in order not to pay a fair settlement. After all, we all knew that there was no money when we were in opposition.

[Mr Hoban]

That is why, when the ombudsman published her report, we highlighted her recommendation that we need to consider the impact on the public purse of any compensation scheme. We made that point when she published her report, and it was in the Opposition day motions on which we voted prior to the election. It has been a consistent strand in our policy to recognise the impact on the public purse of this compensation pot.