(LD): My
Lords, I entirely accept that the Office for Students has overall
responsibility for this issue, but, as we have heard, Ministers
have a responsibility too. Is she saying that there is nothing at
all that Ministers can do to try to mediate or to help in this
dispute?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education () (Con): What I am
saying is that we established the Office for Students to ensure
that students’ interests are respected and upheld. The Government
have no direct role in relation to the Universities
Superannuation Scheme beyond the legislation that
applies to all workplace pension schemes as regulated by the
Pensions Regulator.
(Lab): My Lords, there
is a real complication between the pension scheme operated by
universities and the pension scheme operated by the health
service. Could the Minister talk to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer about the contradiction between giving away £1 billion
of public funding for consultants operating under the health
service pension scheme and the situation faced by consultants in
teaching hospitals, who have opted, or been encouraged, to take
on a previous university pension scheme, which is now being
completely changed? We might get some sense out of the issue of
getting tutors back to work, if we could put a little of that £1
billion into resolving the pension problem for universities.
(Con): I am more than
happy to pass on the noble Lord’s comments to colleagues in the
Treasury.
