To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the latest figures on the number of people opting to take out personal pensions.

Just over 3·5 million people have so far applied for an appropriate personal pension.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for men and women aged 16, 20, 30 and 40 years in April 1988, the ages at which it would pay the person concerned to cease contributing to a personal pension or other money purchase scheme, assuming rates of return of 0·5 per cent. and 2·5 per cent. above the annual increase in average earnings.

It is not possible to give such a table because of the wide range of other factors, in addition to the rate of return, which would affect the amount of the personal pension.