Goverment's lack of action over Equitable Life report is totally unacceptable, says MEP

11 December 2007 2:35 pm

The UK Government’s lack of response to the Equitable Life report is totally unacceptable, according to Diana Wallis.

Speaking in response to the UK Parliamentary Ombudsman's further postponing of the publication of her report into Equitable Life, Wallis says: “The European Parliament carried out an 18-month inquiry and backed the resulting report with an overwhelming majority.

“It is both immoral and illegal for the government to leave so many Equitable Life policyholders without a remedy. I cannot accept the fact that the European Parliament faces the prospect of waiting more than a year between its report on the crisis at Equitable Life, and any formal response by the government most concerned by it.”

Wallis says the European Commission provided a clear and detailed response in autumn, but so far the British government has failed to do so.

She says: “Such a stance is all the more surprising following the prompt rescuing of Northern Rock. I will make sure the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, to whom several Equitable policyholders came for redress in the first place, takes this matter up once again.”

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