How many more women will receive entitlements to the state second pension as a result of Government pension proposals.

As a result of reform, around 1 million more people will build up entitlement to the state second pension from 2010, 90 per cent. of whom will be women.

I thank my hon. Friend for her answer. As a Member of Parliament whose Constituency has one of the highest percentages of women, I am naturally concerned about the treatment of women. Does my hon. Friend agree that the low take-up of the state second pension among women might be due to the fact that they are still being paid less than men? Of course, it could be that they are going for other pensions that are more favourable, but what are the Government doing to investigate why there is such a low take-up of the state second pension?

My hon. Friend is correct that for many years the number of women who build up a full state pension has been significantly lower than the number of their male counterparts who do so, which is why in our reforms, including the reform of the second state pension, we seek to equalise the take-up of the basic state pension and the building-up of that entitlement. He is correct, too, that there are other issues to do with the advice given to women workers and whether or not they think it worth their while to join in a private pension scheme. That is something that the Department for Work and Pensions must look at, along with employers and with the sponsorship of other Government Departments, to make sure that the right information is given to women. For too long, women have been second-class citizens with regard to pensions, whether it is the payment of the small stamp or the fact that they have never been given the opportunity to build up an entitlement, and we seek to rectify that.

I wonder whether my hon. Friend will join me in congratulating the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities which, last Thursday, with the help of Age Concern and Bolton council launched a new mobile advice centre that has three interview rooms and a large satellite dish on the roof, and allows professional staff from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Pension Service to give all the citizens of Greater Manchester who receive pensions or are about to receive them proper advice?

I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in offering my congratulations. He has illustrated the way in which the Department for Work and Pensions, through the Pension Service, goes out to people and ensures that information is taken to the community. It works closely with voluntary organisations and local authorities to ensure that there are no barriers to information among the local population, and I should be interested to learn from the Pension Service the improved take-up in the Greater Manchester area.