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Pensions Bill

The Minister would not expect me to name names because all the people concerned need to deal with the DWP. Therefore, I will not reveal who says what about it. However, it is a fact that it took a long time from the deregulatory review even to put out a consultation document. The document was carefully timed to avoid anything being done in this Bill. I accept that more work may need to be done on the amendment, but, as I was trying to point out in my opening remarks, it would at least be something that is available to employers to stop them having a simple decision to make: money purchase or carry on with a defined benefit scheme whose cost they cannot bear. I hope that the Minister and his colleagues will reflect on that again during the summer, because it would be a shame to lose the opportunity afforded by the Bill to create something to help defined benefit schemes stay in existence in some form. The Association of Consulting Actuaries remains fully committed to working with the Government if they would like to perfect an amendment that satisfied them. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendment No. 125 had been withdrawn from the Marshalled List.]