MPs debate Equitable Life
23 February 2015
On Thursday 26 February, MPs took part in a debate on a motion relating to Equitable Life. This debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following a bid from Bob Blackman, Fabian Hamilton and Stephen Lloyd.
This debate was the first item of main business and followed the Ministerial Statement on Jimmy Savile: NHS investigation. The debate on Equitable Life was opened by Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East at 12.53pm.
Watch the debate and read the transcript
- Watch Parliament TV: MPs debate Equitable Life 26 February
- Read Commons Hansard: MPs debate Equitable Life 26 February
Text of the motion
'That this House congratulates the Government on providing a scheme to compensate victims of the Equitable Life scandal; welcomes the Government’s acceptance of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s findings in full; notes that the Parliamentary Ombudsman recommended that policyholders should be put back in the position they would have been had maladministration not occurred; further notes that most victims have only received partial compensation compared to the confirmed losses; and calls on the Government to make a commitment to provide full compensation during the lifetime of the next Parliament as the economy and public finances continue to recover.'
How the subject was selected
The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee following representation from Bob Blackman at the public meeting on Tuesday 10 February 2015.
- Parliament TV: Backbench Business Committee on 10 February 2015
- Transcript of oral evidence heard on 10 February 2015
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 1pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.
An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.
The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.