Pensions: Draw-down Charges

Lord Hughes of Woodside Excerpts

Tuesday 9th June 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

As I said at the outset, this market is two months old and we are watching very closely to see how the charges develop. There is a range of different charges; some providers charge for drawing down and others do not, but we will be watching it very closely.

[Lord Hughes of Woodside (Lab)]

My Lords, when this policy was first made, to a great fanfare of trumpets, the Government were warned of the difficulties that would arise unless they took control of the matter. What the Minister is really saying is that no planning was done whatever and no thought whatever was given to how this matter would develop. Is he aware that, the way things are going, this will make the PPI scandal look like a children’s tea party?

Employment: New Jobs

Lord Hughes of Woodside Excerpts

Monday 27th January 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, I cannot control where people advertise anything.

[Lord Hughes of Woodside (Lab)]

While it is understandable that the Minister takes great pleasure from the increase in private sector employment, does he not accept that there is something Orwellian about his response—namely, private sector jobs good, public sector jobs bad? Has he no conception of the damage done to people’s lives by the vast decrease in public sector work?

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, the point that I have been making is that those jobs lost in the public sector have been more than replaced—by a factor of three—in the private sector right the way round the country. That includes the regions as much as the south. Let me make a point about efficiency in the public service. The size of the workforce has decreased by 15% since 2010, so the Civil Service is now the smallest since the Second World War, but output has not decreased. Productivity in DWP, for example, has been steadily improving, and improved by 12% in 2011-12.

Housing: Underoccupancy Charge

Lord Hughes of Woodside Excerpts

Tuesday 14th January 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, I am pleased to remind the noble Lord that the survey conducted on this policy by Ipsos MORI a couple of months ago found that 78% of people thought that it was important to tackle this problem, and 54% thought it was fair to have this kind of reduction.

[Lord Hughes of Woodside (Lab)]

My Lords, the Minister said that the regulations would be brought forward in March, which is two months from now. What will happen between now and then to the people who have suffered the difficulties that have been described, and how long after the amendments have been made will they take effect?

[Lord Freud]

I am not quite sure that I got that question. We have put out guidance to local authorities to make it clear that people in that position should not have a reduction in their benefits until the regulations have been introduced in a corrected form.