Pensions Bill

moved Amendment No. 26: 26: Schedule 6, page 74, line 24, leave out paragraph (b) and insert— ““(b) send a copy of the certified statement and of his report to the Secretary of State as soon as possible. ( ) The Secretary of State must lay a copy of the statement and report sent under sub-paragraph (5)(b) before Parliament.”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, as I announced in Committee, the National Audit Office has contacted the Department for Work and Pensions to notify it of a change of policy in relation to the NAO’s role in laying audited accounts before Parliament. The Bill makes clear that the delivery authority will be required to produce an annual statement of accounts and that the Comptroller and Auditor General must then audit them. This will not change. However, the Bill also states that the Comptroller and Auditor General will then lay a copy of the audited accounts before Parliament. The NAO has brought to our attention that this requirement should no longer be placed on the Comptroller and Auditor General as it is now the policy of each department or audited body to take ownership of publishing accounts and laying them before Parliament. The purpose of this is to move the central government sector into line with the commercial world where it is the responsibility of companies rather than their auditors to file accounts. Government Amendment No. 26 makes this change so that it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State to lay a copy of the audited accounts before Parliament. The change will reflect industry best practice and bring the delivery authority in line with other recently created bodies such as Natural England and the Olympic Delivery Authority, which require the Secretary of State to lay the audited accounts before Parliament. I beg to move. On Question, amendment agreed to. Clause 33 [Initial function of the Authority]: