New Clause 29 - Pension position of women

Part of Pensions Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:45 pm on 27 April 2004.

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Photo of Steve Webb Steve Webb Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 3:45, 27 April 2004

I echo the spirit of what the hon. and learned Lady says. Will she clarify how far what she says is dictated by political realism—by the notion that the most one can expect a Government to do is fiddle? As she correctly said, it will be three generations—or whatever—before anything happens from the labour market. What she talks about will make welcome but minor changes to a bigger percentage of inadequate pensions 20 years down the track. Would she like to go a lot further and to see something much more dramatic done for people who will be pensioners in the next five or 10 years?