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Occupational Pensions

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s restatement of his willingness to review the financial assistance scheme. For my constituents who are workers or former workers at Kalamazoo, time is of the essence. Given the current timetable for the comprehensive spending review, it may leave many people in appalling positions. Will he therefore say a little more about the possibility of expediting the review? Given that the situation requires substantial amounts of money, will he speak to appropriate firms and bodies in the financial sector to ascertain whether, even at this late stage, there may be mileage in considering not purchasing annuities and pooling the schemes’ assets to ensure that money can be front-loaded and the cost can be spread over the maximum period?