Mr. Tim Duggan:

Yes. At the same time, we are trying to see what people think about all the individual elements, which is why we have produced a comprehensive paper setting out all the issues.

We then asked a series of questions to get people's views. We would like to try to achieve a balance. The Deputy is suggesting that a requirement for 40 years of contributions for a full pension is too long. I do not buy into the sense of alarm because that must be balanced by the fact that people are living much longer than in the past and the likelihood that an extensive and reasonable system of credits will be provided that will also be available for a range of contingencies. When these factors are combined the 40 years of total contributions is not as long as it may seem. It should not be viewed in stark terms but in the round. Rather than taking the figure of 40 years and saying it is horrendous, we must look at what else is part of the package. The introduction of the new home caring credit, which is unlimited in the sense that it has no start date and is for a full 20 years, is a significant development. This option did not exist previously and makes a great difference to the calculation of the 40 years. A range of credits is also available to people, depending on their contingency, that will also significantly mitigate the 40 years' requirement. Notwithstanding that, no decision has been made on whether the period will be 40, 30, 32 or 35 years, for that matter.