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Pensions Bill

We are still trying to tease out the Government's thinking on why they will not move on this measure. Will the Minister explain—or even give a reference or place information in the Library—the Government's calculations and assessment of the impact of this level of expenditure on the overall economy? What macroeconomic impact would it have if the new clause were accepted? Most of us believe that it would actually have a directly beneficial economic impact not just on individuals but, by increasing demand and thereby expenditure, on the overall economy. At the same time, will the Minister give us some indication of the actuarial calculations of how many existing pensioners will not benefit from any change of policy by 2012 or 2015 because they will no longer be alive?