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Pensions Bill [Lords]

I am glad that the Minister has raised that point. His own consultation, which closes on Friday, is examining the question of how savings can be made through acceleration of the granting of the state pension age later in life. That is an issue that should have been brought to the House for debate before we were asked to debate egregious measures that will hit half a million women. We should re-examine the timetable for the raising of the retirement age to 67, but that must be done on the basis of equal treatment of the sexes, and the principle that people should be given time to prepare. We are sick of this confusion. We are sick of this chaos. We say to the Government today, ““No more: you need to get a grip. Take this Bill away, and bring us a plan that you have had the decency to half think through.””"““The critical factor in pension arrangements is certainty. People need to be able to plan with certainty””.—[Official Report, 11 January 2011; Vol. 342, c. 179.]" Those are not my words, but the words of the Pensions Minister who is responsible for the Bill. Tonight the House will be asked to vote on a broken promise. We urge the Government to think again. We shall vote to oppose the Bill, and I urge others to do the same.