Equitable Life Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Equitable Life

Andrew Selous Excerpts
Thursday 31st January 2019

(5 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Bob Blackman Portrait Bob Blackman
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They have been denied proper compensation for nine years. It is time that this was settled.

Andrew Selous Portrait Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)
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We know that many of the victims were retired nurses, teachers and factory or shop workers, and therefore not people of huge means, but one particular group is affected: small business owners who had no choice but to set up a pension. Does my hon. Friend agree that we owe a particular debt of honour to these small business owners who had to set up a pension and thought Equitable Life was a perfectly proper company to do that with?

Bob Blackman Portrait Bob Blackman
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Many companies in this country encouraged their employees to invest with Equitable Life thinking that it was a safe haven. In fact I can speak from personal memory, in that I was an employee of BT at the time and we were encouraged to invest in Equitable Life. Thank goodness we had a choice—I made the right choice, but I could be in the position of the victims.