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Pensions Bill

If the House supported such an amendment, a regulation would follow in the course of next year, among the other regulations that we have, that would allow the electoral register to be used for this purpose. As the amendment makes clear, there is no reason why, if some of my noble friends’ concerns are found to be valid as we explore this in the next five, 10 or 15 years, we cannot cross-check with records of council tax payments and other forms of benefit entitlement of that sort. That can easily be done. All I am saying is that if we accept that a current electoral register with 15 years of records is a workable basis—97 to 98 per cent of working people over the age of 45 who are on the electoral register have not moved house—the only thing that is needed is an amendment to make that legal under the 2001 Act. A future Government may decide to do nothing beyond that in the future. That is up to them, but if we do not make such a move and protect the integrity of that information, no future Government will ever be able to do so. We will have this debate next year and in five, 10 and 15 years’ time, and someone will say, ““Why don’t we clean this mess up? What a pity we do not have an information base on which to do it””. That could be the Government or the Opposition, but I am completely confident that that moment will come. My only question is—to paraphrase my noble friend—not when, but how, and not if, but when? My noble friend’s speech obviously was drafted before the arguments could be explored in detail. I shall reflect on what my noble friend said and I hope that he will reflect on what has been said tonight about the capacity we already have and the need to protect that capacity to keep options open for future Governments who may wish to make decisions, with which my noble friend may disagree, but which others may want to see happen. Going down that path is the only way to ensure that all women will get the pension to which they are entitled. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendments Nos. 34 and 35 not moved.] Schedule 3 agreed to. Schedule 1 [State pension: consequential and related amendments]: