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National Insurance Contributions Bill

May I finish my point? The Government argue—I suspect that this might be the point that the Exchequer Secretary was about to make—that flat-rating was part of the package under the pensions legislation. Absolutely. However, it was part of a package. It is being brought in now when we may not see the rest of the package until 2012 at the earliest, and possibly 2015. We have to remember that that will all be dependent on the economic condition at the time and on whether the fiscal circumstances will allow it. It is a long way off, and I am certainly not going to make any predictions about the economic conditions, but it is perfectly possible that in 2009 the flat-rating proposals will come in and that the upper earnings limit and upper accruals limit link will be broken while the rest of the package is delayed for six years, or even more.