Pensions Bill

moved Amendment No. 138: 138: After Clause 22, insert the following new Clause— ““Independent Pensions Commission The Secretary of State must, no later than 1st January 2010, establish an Independent Pensions Commission to— (a) advise the Government on affordability issues in relation to state pension provision and the state pension age; (b) conduct and publish gender, carer and state pension coverage impact assessment annually; and (c) publish annual projections of the proportion of pensioners facing different withdrawal rates.”” The noble Lord said: In the spirit of what I have just been saying, my preference would be for apurely narrow-focused commission, but if there is a commission that does not range too widely and incorporates as a substantial element of its work the affordability of public sector pensions, we would support that. I look forward to hearing from the other two noble Lords on their amendments in this group. I beg to move.