Pensions Dashboards (Prohibition of Indemnification) Bill

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 26th October 2022 Public Bill Committees

[The Chair]

Yes. I call Maggie Throup.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle on successfully navigating this short but important Bill to Committee. I should start by declaring an interest: I am one of the few people in this room likely to benefit from the Bill sooner rather than later. [Laughter.] I know that does not seem likely, but there we are.

This is a simple Bill that strengthens the pensions dashboard regulations. I will focus on clause 1, which I fully support. When the pensions dashboard regulations come into force, the pensions regulator may take enforcement action, which could include a financial penalty, if a trustee or manager of an occupational pension scheme fails to comply with the regulations. When that occurs, there is nothing in legislation to prevent them from reimbursing themselves from the assets of the pension scheme.

The provisions in the Bill will make it a criminal offence for pension scheme trustees or managers to reimburse themselves using the assets of the pension scheme in respect of the penalties imposed under dashboard regulations. It achieves that by amending section 256(1)(b) of the Pensions Act 2004. I am sure that we have all had surgery cases where constituents feel, for a variety of reasons, that they are not getting their expected pension due to inappropriate use of funds. I am sure that this Bill will go a long way to addressing those concerns.

The part of the explanatory notes detailing the impact assessment quite rightly indicates that there may be some indirect benefits of the Bill, as it should help to reassure pension savers that protections are in place to deter unscrupulous trustees or managers, therefore providing greater confidence to save for a pension, protecting our financial futures. In conclusion, I am sure that my Erewash residents will welcome the measures in the Bill, so I am delighted to support clauses 1 and 2 as they stand.

[Richard Graham]

As a trustee of the parliamentary pension scheme, I should declare a relevant interest. Today is a great moment to congratulate two colleagues. The work on creating the pensions dashboard was done by my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham. I think we all recognise what a great job he did on that as Parliament’s longest-serving pensions Minister. It is also right that we all congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle, who has taken this forward, building on the work done by my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham, to create surely one of the shortest and least contentious Bills that this House has ever had to deal with. I am sure that the Minister will say something similar in due course.

Ensuring that trustees and managers do not effectively raid a pension fund, other people’s assets, effectively, to deal with their own errors—advertent or inadvertent; as my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle said, most instances will be inadvertent—is absolutely right and proper. This just sensibly fills a gap. The business of insurance indemnification for trustees against inadvertent mistakes will also be reassuring to those who volunteer as trustees almost always completely free of charge. On that basis, there is a huge amount to appreciate and support in this short Bill.

Oral Answers to Questions

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Monday 1st July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Justin Tomlinson]

I understand why the hon. Lady raises that question but, under DLA, only 15% of claimants actually got the highest rate of support, whereas the rate under PIP is now 31%. One of the key things is that 70% of DLA claimants were on lifetime awards, yet one in three claimants’ condition had significantly changed within 12 months and they would have been entitled to a different rate—predominantly a higher rate, rather than a lower rate—and we do not want people to miss out. That is why, under PIP, we are now spending an additional £6 billion a year to support some of the most vulnerable people in society.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

There has recently been a noticeable increase in the number of my constituents in receipt of personal independence payment who, on reassessment, have had it stopped or reduced. Will my right hon. Friend agree to meet me to discuss this worrying trend and to see what we can do to sort it out?

Oral Answers to Questions

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Monday 19th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Amber Rudd]

The rapporteur does no credit to his report by making personal comments about the former Secretary of State in this Department, who did a fantastic job. Having said that, I have already acknowledged that we can make changes to the UC system: despite the tremendous good that it does, I know that there are problems with it and we will be focusing on fixing them.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

T3. A constituent of mine who is currently claiming the personal independence payment has been told that she will need to undergo reassessment just one month before she is migrated on to the state pension. She is concerned that this will cost more than the amount she will get for that extra month; is this process correct, and what will happen when she gets her state pension?

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Sarah Newton)]

I thank my hon. Friend for asking that really good question. People who qualify for PIP before retirement age are able then to carry on claiming PIP, so long as they are eligible, into retirement. That is in addition to pension or any other benefits to which they are eligible.

Universal Credit

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Monday 5th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Ms McVey]

The hon. Lady, who knows a lot about this subject, is correct about the debt advice and the support that is available. We are building in measures to help more people to obtain debt advice. They often do not like asking for it as such, so we are going to change the term to “money advice”. Many people do not like to admit that they are in debt, even if they are.

Let me clear up one point. We are not talking about 30% of the entire benefit; we are talking about 30% of the standard allowance. Obviously, that does not include housing or childcare. It is a significant reduction in the rate, led by calls from the Trussell Trust.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

Universal credit has already been fully rolled out in my constituency, and for the majority of people it is working; but, more important, more people are working too. Does my right hon. Friend agree that universal credit can also empower people to work more hours, which has got to be good for their self-esteem?

[Ms McVey]

My hon. Friend is right. This benefit is about empowering people. It is about helping them to take on work, or extra work. Under the legacy systems, people were locked out of work even if they wanted to do it. We know that there are about 113 million extra hours of work out there. We also know that there is a record number of vacancies in the economy. We can help people, get them a career, get them on the jobs ladder, and get them doing what they want to do in this world.

Universal Credit

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Wednesday 17th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

Yet again we are debating universal credit and yet again I feel as if we are in a parallel universe in this House. However, I am convinced that every single MP wants the very best for their constituents, which is why we all get passionate about this issue.

My constituency of Erewash has had full roll-out for some time now, and universal credit is working. Prior to universal credit being rolled out, much of my surgery time was taken up with sorting out tax credit issues. I am still sorting out some of these historical cases and it is a nightmare, but my surgeries have changed since full roll-out of universal credit. I am pleased to say that they are not full of universal credit cases. I am not going to deny that there are some, but the proportion of such cases in relation to other issues has completely changed compared with the situation before universal credit.

I pay tribute to the staff at my local jobcentres in Long Eaton and Ilkeston. It is because of their hard work and commitment to those who need their support that universal credit is working in Erewash. I am sure that the jobcentre staff and claimants alike would not want to return to the previous system, which was clunky and, more importantly, did not encourage people to return to work, as we have heard from quite a few Conservative Members this afternoon. My local jobcentre staff tell me that more people are getting into work and, more importantly, staying in work as a result of universal credit; they no longer have to sign on and sign off.

In the run-up to this debate, I have received numerous emails from constituents on the subject of universal credit, many of which are identical. Sadly, someone has misinformed them about many aspects of the system. One element of universal credit that has been adjusted since April is that of housing benefit. It is often the housing element that causes problems in Erewash. But now claimants already on housing benefit will continue to receive their award for the first two weeks of their universal credit claim. I thank the Government for making those changes. In addition, the Government have promised to make it easier for claimants to request that their housing element be paid directly to their landlord, so the Government are listening.

Universal credit is working in Erewash and, more importantly, more of my constituents are working too.

ESA Underpayments

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Thursday 19th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

May I wish my hon. Friend a very happy birthday? I commend her for finding this issue, moving it on, and getting a solution to it. Does she recognise the important role that so many employers are playing in signing up to the Disability Confident scheme and recognising that people with disabilities are an important part of our workforce for the future?

[Sarah Newton]

I thank my hon. Friend for making such an important point. We must always recognise the really positive contribution that people with health conditions and disabilities make across the whole of society, including at work. I commend her for accepting the community challenge. I commend all Members across the House who will go out into their communities this summer and encourage more employers to provide work experience, internships and employment for the huge talent pool of disabled people that we have in our country.

Universal Credit

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Thursday 5th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I do want to accommodate a few more questioners and we must work on that basis.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

Jobcentre staff across my constituency where universal credit has already been fully rolled out inform me that claimants are more likely to get into work as a result of being on universal credit. Is that a trend across the country, because that would mean it is really good that we are rolling it out, at whatever speed that might be?

[Ms McVey]

That is what is coming out from the data we are gathering about what real people are saying about how universal credit impacts on their lives. My hon. Friend is right to say that people are getting into work faster, staying in work longer, and looking for work. For those in work, the data shows that on average people are earning an extra £600 a year. Those are the positive effects of this benefit change.

Oral Answers to Questions

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Monday 2nd July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

Will my hon. Friend outline what official support is available to families when one parent is unexpectedly unable to work because of a serious illness such as cancer? Does this support apply to claimants who are employed and self-employed?

[Sarah Newton]

There is a range of support and no two families are the same. I encourage my hon. Friend to go to her Jobcentre Plus. I am sure that the really able colleagues there will be able to advise on which benefits and types of support are available.

Oral Answers to Questions

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Monday 21st May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Ms McVey]

They were not modest changes; they were quite significant changes, made after listening to what people said on the ground and meeting various action groups on the ground to see what was needed. We listened and we changed, and that is why we have done a very slow roll-out. I meet some of the poverty action groups across the country on a weekly basis to ask what else can be done. All have welcomed the changes we have put in place and the record number of people we have now got into employment, but of course where we need to give debt support or advances, we will continue to do so.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

With universal credit being fully rolled out in Erewash, can my right hon. Friend state how universal credit can impact the claimant count numbers and what can be done to explain like for like?

[Ms McVey]

My hon. Friend asks a pertinent question. Employment is going up and unemployment is going down, which is reflected in the numbers, but because this is a brand new benefit that takes on people in work and people out of work, we are seeing the number of people claiming double. We are now giving support and career progression to people in work, so we will see the claimant count increase and, in some areas, double.

Oral Answers to Questions

Maggie Throup Excerpts

Monday 26th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am trying to help colleagues, but I would ask colleagues to help each other. A short sentence each would suffice, and then you are not denying somebody else the chance.

[Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)]

On Saturday, I was delighted to launch a new bus route from Ilkeston to East Midlands airport, through Long Eaton and Sandiacre, which will undoubtedly open up more opportunities in terms of the many vacancies in the logistics hubs at the airport. Does my right hon. Friend agree that transport providers and employers working together will really make sure that my constituents have every job opportunity?

[Ms McVey]

It has always been about everybody working together. This Government, and this Department in particular, want to make sure that we step outside the silos and work across Departments and that work coaches stand outside what they need to do to make sure that they are reaching into people’s lives to help them progress.