§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days were lost owing to industrial action by staff in(a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [101509]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe information on the number of staff days lost owing to industrial action for the Department for Work and Pensions, is set out in the following table for the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002.
§ Mr. McCartneyAs part of the Government's Pension Education publicity campaign, we make it clear through the appropriate guides, for example, the guide `Personal pensions—Your guide' that people might pay for financial advice through fees or commission which is deducted from their pension contributions. People are advised to ask for details of fees or commission. The Department publicises the guides, and they can also be accessed through The Pension Service website www.thepensionservice.gov.uk.
The Government are committed to providing people with the information they need to make informed choices about saving for retirement. The proposals set out in the recently published Green Paper 'Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement' (Cm 5677) are intended to reinforce that.