Mr. Pat Mellon:

One of the things that we sometimes forget is that, with regard to the non-contributory pension, females may have been working at home for periods of time and may not have the full contributions or a pension. They are means-tested on the basis of part of their partners' assets. They want independence. It could be their freedom. It is their right. It is like that. They may have come back to work late in life and want to get more contributions. It is also about independence and the right to choose. We consistently find that people are being told they are not fit to work or that they cannot be employed. Women are oftentimes regarded as an appendage to the assets of their husbands, which is not right.