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Pensions Bill

I want to talk briefly about what the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) mentioned a moment ago: the question of pride. Sadly, I lost my grandfather last year. He was 93 years of age. He had never in his life had what he described as a handout until he became a pensioner. Then, he was expected to go cap in hand and ask for a benefit. Why should that be? This is not just about pride or about opening up one's documents; it is not just about complicated forms. It is about the simple principle of what that generation paid in and what they are entitled to. I was not a Member of Parliament when we broke the link—I think that I was still serving in the armed forces at the time—but I am proud that my party has accepted where we need to be today. The delay worries me enormously, however. The actuaries in the Department know full well what is coming. They know full well that, as incomes drop as we get into a difficult economic situation, the gap will close. So, if and when this measure eventually comes through during this Parliament, the cost implications will be even greater. We might even find ourselves in a situation in which more people—[Interruption.] The Government Whip makes a comment from a sedentary position. He did not have the guts to have a moan at the Labour Members who had the courage to stand up for their constituents, but he thinks it is quite funny and jovial to have a chirp at a Conservative MP for standing up for the pensioners in his constituency. I am proud of my constituents. I am very proud of my grandfather, who would not go cap in hand to get a mean-tested benefit. He survived in his own way and worked until he was in his early 90s.