UK Parliament / Open data

Pension Schemes Bill [Lords]

Proceeding contribution from Nigel Mills (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Monday, 16 November 2020. It occurred during Debate on bills on Pension Schemes Bill [Lords].

I am grateful to the hon. Member, but I am not sure what the amendment would achieve then. If we say to a pension scheme, “You need to make sure that your overall investments are consistent with the nationwide net zero strategy”, they can just say, “Of course we are because there is a nationwide net zero

strategy and we are just investing in legal businesses”, which we would presumably put taxes or carbon levies on to make sure we push this. It becomes a circle that would presumably mean only that the trustees have to produce a strategy and occasionally review it. It would not actually drive a great deal of different behaviour. I think I would want to see much more activist investment from pension schemes and their investment advisers to ensure that the businesses that they are investing in are sticking to their obligations and strategies on how they can reduce their impact on the environment, making sure that those promises are being kept on a management level rather than setting trustees an impossible target, which I am not sure would even mean what hon. Members seek to make it mean.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

684 c1514 

Session

2019-21

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber
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