Part of Pensions Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 11:00 am on 5th February 2008.
This is indeed an important aspect of the Bill and I am pleased that we are debating it. It is right for hon. Members to seek such reassurances. I am grateful that PADA’s consultation on charging has been acknowledged and welcomed. It is, of course, a consultation on the charging structure, not charging levels. It is welcome, and I am sure that it will be important in terms of finalising the scheme’s details. I am also pleased that there is general support and recognition for the important principle that the scheme will be, in due course, self-financing. I hear that there is an acceptance of the situation during the set-up years—this is a separate issue—but in the long term, it must be self-financing.