To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the conclusions of Department for Work and Pensions Research Report 395: “Self-employment and retirement” regarding comparative perceptions of investment in bricks and mortar and in financial products and of their value as sources of income after retirement; what assessment his Department has made of the implications of these perceptions for pensions and pension reform; and if he will make a statement. (115331)

Research Report 395: “Self-employment and retirement” was a small-scale qualitative research report with around 40 individuals to improve our understanding of the spectrum of views about planning and saving for retirement among (lower income) self-employed people, and what influences those views. My Department has not made any assessment of the conclusions of this report regarding general perceptions of investing in bricks and mortar as opposed to financial products, nor of its implications for pensions and pension reform.