Adjournment Debate: Trawlermens Pensions  

On Wednesday 2 March 2011, Alan gave his first speech from the backbenches since resigned from the Opposition frontbench in January. He applied to the Speaker of the House to secure an adjournment debate on the subject of trawlermens pensions: an issue he has been working on since uncovering the scandal in 2007. He has been working with the other port MPs, Austin Mitchell and Frank Doran and with Thompsons solicitors in order to get justice for men who never received the pensions they paid into in the 60s. As a backbencher Alan is now able to request adjournment debates and he used the opportunity to shed some light on an issue that he believes now needs concluding. The speech he gave at the debate is below: “The purpose of this debate is to bring to the attention of the House and the Minister a scandal involving the maladministration of a pension scheme that has left thousands of distant...