Rt Hon Mark Hoban MP
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
HM Treasury
1 Horseguards Road
London SW1A 2HQ

1 September 2010

Dear Mark,

Equitable Life Policy Holders

Thank you for your letter of July 22nd in which you confirmed the coalition Government's commitment to Equitable Life policy holders.

There are many policy holders in Brighton Pavilion who welcome this commitment. However, I have met with a number recently who are concerned that any compensation will be based on the conclusions reached in the recent report by Sir John Chadwick. I share their concerns, as it would appear does the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, who calls Sir John's proposals ‘an unsafe and unsound basis on which to proceed'. She goes on to say that ‘if acted upon [they] would not in any sense enable fair and transparent compensation to be delivered.'

I would be grateful for confirmation that the government intends to heed the advice from Ann Abraham and will disregard the conclusions drawn by the Chadwick report in order to ensure that Equitable Life policyholders in my constituency receive the justice to which they are entitled and which you have promised.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion

Read the Minister's letter to MPs