"My Lords, clearly there remains a tension within government between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Treasury. As we heard at Second Reading, the DWP is focused on encouraging people to save more for their retirement, yet the Treasury continues to pursue measures to fill its coffers, while …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"My Lords, the amendments in this group either increase the level of pension contributions exempt from national insurance or seek to prevent fiscal drag. Both aims are very welcome. In many respects, the higher the exempt amount, the better; on the face of it, Amendment 9, in the name of …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"My Lords, I support the amendments in this group in the names of my noble friend Lady Neville-Rolfe, the noble Baroness, Lady Kramer, and others—in fact, quite frankly, most of the noble Lords currently in Committee.
These amendments speak directly to the reality facing SMEs and charities, which are organisations …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"I thank the Minister for giving way. He has mentioned up to five different publications where this information may be found. Is it not possible for the Government to bring it into one place, so that we can actually see what the information is?..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"My Lords, I wish to express deep concern about the Government’s decision to impose a £2,000 cap on salary sacrifice arrangements for pension contributions. This measure may appear technical, but its consequences for retirement saving are anything but trivial. It raises serious questions about the coherence of the Government’s approach …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"My Lords, I remind the Committee of my interest as an employee of Marsh, which owns Mercer, a pension and investment advisory management company.
I did not intend to speak on this group but I do not believe that financial size is the be-all and end-all. In my world, working …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Bowles, after that. I support Amendments 115 and 152, in the names of my noble friends Viscount Younger of Leckie and Lady Stedman-Scott, concerning the Government’s draft powers to mandate. The matter before us is not, in essence, …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a pleasure to serve as a member of the Environment and Climate Change Committee and to speak in this debate. I place on record my thanks to the excellent staff who supported us throughout the nitrogen inquiry.
"My Lords, like other noble Lords, I very much look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady White of Tufnell Park. I declare an interest as an employee of Marsh, the sister organisation to Mercer, a pension and investment advisory and management company.
"Before the Minister goes on, I think there is a real worry about the current situation on the face of a previous Bill and the insurance that is paid by law-abiding citizens today. I would like some reassurance that that is going to be seriously considered when this comes forward. …..." Lord Ashcombe - View Speech