§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 13 February 2003,Official Report, column 969W, on top-up fees, whether his Department will be undertaking studies to assess the impact of the proposed introduction of university top-up fees on the pension contributions of those under 40 years of age. [101288]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe Department's regular annual review of future research requirements is currently under way, and when it is complete, the Research Programme will be published. At this stage, we are unable to provide details of plans for specific studies. However, following publication on 17 December 2002 of the Green Paper, "Simplicity, Security and Choice: Working and Saving for Retirement" (Cm 5677), identifying and remedying gaps in our information on pension accumulation and savings behaviour is a priority for the Department.