15/04/2012 Sunday Politics West

End the West: We meet Steve Wyatt the Minister of the key to you and

fireman plans. Is there any chance to the days where factory workers

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1729 seconds

can expect their gold plated Good afternoon from the team here

and the West Country. Today we're asking how are we going to pay for

our old age? In the good old days, workers here enjoyed great pension

rights from the company that looked after them. Now many are facing

huge uncertainty about how we will pay for the golden years. I am

shocked -- joined by Steve Webb, there Pensions Minister in the

coalition Government. Welcome to you. The Chancellor expressed a

shock this week were that wealthy people are not paying tax in some

cases. Do you share that astonishment? I think there is

confusion between tax avoidance and tax evasion. The Government sets up

schemes that allow people... Some of the rich people are really

paying 10% tax. There is no indication that they are doing

anything illegal. Steve Webb? is why you have to ask if these are

right. If you pile them all together, people are not paying

their fair share... Are you shocked? I wasn't entirely startled.

I think putting a floor under all these exemptions so that people are

paying a fair share is the right direction to go end. One to our

main story this week: Pensions. Young people are given a job today

will find it almost impossible to get employment with a nice index-

linked pension. The public sector is cutting back benefits and most

private employers have closed their own schemes, which leave employees

with envious schemes. Dave Harvey has been looking at the crisis in a

pension funds. They urge drawing the generous

company pension. Only 500 people work for that tobacco industry

today. It is the same story and dozens of firms. N is a day, this

company employed well over 10,000 people. Today, less than half that

number work there. And that is the problem. On the balance sheet of a

typical company pension fund, the number of people paying and is

falling fast, Meanwell the army of pensioners -- people needed to keep

up these funds are growing. Male expectancy was 65. Not one penny of

that pension may be paid. The average man now list is 78, drawing

his pension now for 13 years. The balance sheet is bust. Experts say

there is a total deficit of �2 billion in West Country pension

schemes. Edge in a worse. There should be a third way and that

should be state pensions. State pensions to �300 a week like in

Scandinavian countries and in Germany. On that basis we would not

be interested in what business was doing from Monday to the next. By

making a serious point. solution is simple, close the door.

Already many final salary schemes have been closed to new members.

Companies replacing them with schemes that are both less generous

and less predictable, relying instead on the stock market. While

the accounts may be having combat workers are not. -- while the

accountants may be happy, the workers are not.

Steve Webb, a lot of people do not have a company pension. Others at

been switched to schemes that pay nothing. The public sector is

reducing benefits. Millions of us are facing a miserable old age.

we do nothing, that is right. There are three strands to what the

Government is doing. First the state pension. We're trying to

nature it is simpler. It will never be a king's ransom. The second is

to get millions more people into a pension saving for the first time.

10 million workers who do not have a pension, will be placed into work

placed pensions. They will be free to opt out but only after they have

been going. And also to see if firms are want to do more, can

offer schemes that will give workers some certainty, not in

previous days, but some certainty to what their pensions will go.

want to sign workers up to the private scheme. There is no

guarantee lot benefits will be? That is their issue. Having a

pension is a start and it could be great, it could be quite small.

depends on how much you pretend. The firm is putting money end as

well. All that period of time, these things can go up and down. In

time you are putting money end, that firm are putting money in, you

will get a return on that. But you could get less? But in the long run

you will get more. Tom, you have been running -- you have been

listening. The policy that was put in place by the previous Government,

is absolutely the right thing to do. The starting point is not -- we do

not have enough people saving for retirement. This will kick-start a

solution to that. It will bring millions of people into the culture

of saving. When people need every penny they need to get by, if you

are 20 years old and you want a pension of �15,000 when you're 65,

how much do you have to be to ride every month? I can give you an

answer now which would be something around 10 to 15% of your salary.

But that will change with time. The stock market will move interest

rates will move, circumstances will change, so the message is don't

just start saving now, but monitor your savings of a time. And try and

work towards a case where Enya 60s you have saved enough to retire.

But it is a huge pot that you need. -- when you are in your 60s. If you

assume that in the next 20 years as people come towards retirement,

interest rates normalise, that amount will also go down. There is

some potentially good news on the stockmarket. The index is still

about 20% below its 2000 peak. This is unusual. The stock market's 10

to go up rather than down so we could be at a point were

stockmarkets are stronger, interest rates go up, and there are pension

saving becomes much easier. Unfortunately, the Government, has

been putting in the right policies so we are prepared to. In the

meantime, the public are at the mercy of the stop market. That is

why it is important that Government is putting in the minimum floor.

Some people have a minimum standard of living without means testing.

have got some of the lower state pensions and Europe. We have and

partly because someone mentions Scandinavia. In Scandinavia people

fall for a much higher taxes. People will vote for that.

union man mentioned a pension of �300. No other state help for

pensions, why can we do that then we would not have to bother with

all this? A because we would have to pay higher taxes quest --. I

think we will see a state pension of 70 before very long. We cannot

afford to give generous state pensions and you're early 60s, it

is simply too expensive. retirement age of 70, can you see

that, you are the person who decides when we retire? What the

Government has said as people are living longer, that will be kept

under review. There is nothing beyond 60 it that is being told

about. The good news is that people are on average living for 20 odd

years in retirement. Their parents look for maybe 10. We have to

adjust to that. If things do not improve, then people will retire --

reach retirement age and they will be very poor. And nearly people

they will come to Farnell will be the state. Many people will want to

work the and 65 -- beyond 65. You want it remarked -- encourage

people to remain active and continue earning an income. Thank

you very much indeed. Remember David Cameron's dream of a

people power "big society"? 5,000 organisers are now being hired to

turn that off came into a reality. Some are being trained in the West.

We send our man to a "big society" bit camp and Bath. -- boot camp

these are the latest recruits and the Prime Minister's "big society"

army. Their mission - to help communities

in austerity Britain to help themselves. Their target - to

listen, really listen to the views of 500 different people. Community

are organiser Danny brothers as patrolling his beaten Bath. Hello,

my name is Stan Lee. I am here to talk about your area. Do you feel

you have a say in the way it is run at all? As he listens, he learns as

resident is unhappy with the lack of parks and public toilets. And he

is a lot, she volunteers to tackle the issues head-on. When you want

to do something, you are frustrated because you do not know where to

start. They are scarce you the chance to help out and say, yes, I

am willing to do it. I am ready to fight I go out and do it all.

have become part of the "big society". How much do you know

about the "big society" at the moment? A nothing. Nothing Atul.

what does it mean for the street where you live? -- nothing at all.

Here in Bath, it is early days, but in some areas, the work of these

community are organisers is starting to bear fruit. This estate

has seen fly-tipping stop and crime followed by 80%. And here they have

set up the run Arts Club. But is David Cameron tried to sculpt

something out of nothing? If in practice these local projects are

often difficult to get off the ground and there can hardly fill in

the gaps left by huge cuts to public services. What is more, does

anyone have the time to spare? have got increasing working hours,

job insecurity making people less likely to spend time. Things like

childcare commitments. It is very difficult to find the time when you

are committed unmotivated. For the recruits, it is back to barracks

for their weekly training session. How many people have you spoken to?

600 people. Each community and organiser is being paid �20,000 for

one year of listening. But the key test for this will be Gething can

persuade others to pay their way when the money runs out. Likely

sponsors say they are already being squeezed by the Kaplan tax relief

for donations. And without proper funding, they could be forced to

disband. -- by the cap on. The man in charge for training the

volunteers is here for us now. It is costing �20,000 to do this

training. Is it worth it? I think it is absolutely worth it. The

whole concept a sculpting something out of nothing, actually there are

hidden assets and every single community. The solution to most

problems is just sitting there waiting, all we need to do is stop

to people and asked them how they feel about the future of the

communities, whether or not they want to take action and they will.

We will volunteers for only be used to plug gaps in state provision?

do not think that is right at all. We have been working at this for

the last 20 years. During that time we have found people end their

homes who have not known how to get involved in anything and they have

ended up setting up projects. One dance company now employs people in

Poole, a centre end Salford. There is a worry that as the cuts take

effect, there will be gaps where volunteers are expected to sell

those gaps. I think people want to. People want to take responsibility

for their communities. There is nothing new there. When I hear

about the "big society", I am reminded of John May's there's

Citizen Charter. -- John Major's. In my own constituency, you see a

huge number of committees to want to do something but they want

guidance on how to do it. How to unlock the doors to what they want

to do anyway. Is asked what David Cameron means? -- is this what

David Cameron means? When he started talking about this, I could

hear the groans from the delegates. He does not know what he is ducking

about. In are the summer to that it is very clear, it is the village

communities and our communities getting together to improve the

environment in which the 11th. -- in which they live again. I think

it is very exciting. If we train more volunteers, they will need

donations to pay for that. The Government is clamping down on big

charity donations. So how is it going to be affordable? It is worth

keeping perspective. This has not happened yet. A lot of this is

fairly small-scale funding. One person for a year and then tried to

get themselves sustainable. In my constituency, they have got a

village shop going and bubble stuff was going. They got some money to

keep that going. Communities can do that. Sometimes they need that

extra help, someone coming in, someone who knows how to access

funding. Have you got a view on this? What you think about the big

donors losing their tax relief? What is crucial is that in most

committees reworking, most people are prepared to do the work for

themselves. They can do that in small ways and they can also build

up a sense of belonging. We looked at the example in one area where

people have put money in themselves. They have put money in themselves

to us all some of the issues. There they hold a lottery every month and

the raise funds and the use those funds to develop work. They have

also developed a small business there and they generate income. So

there is a sense of power right in the heart of the community and that

is important for us. Thank you very much indeed for coming in.

Time now to take a look at some of the other political stories making

the headlines this week. We have done it in just 60 seconds.

It was the shock defeat of the 1992 General Election. This is a moment

the Lib Dem MP beat the then Conservative Chris Patten. He

celebrated 20 years as an MP this week. Prisoners have been asked to

be given the right to vote. Involving offenders and anything

they can be possibly means they are represented and there for the

country it is focused on addressing the needs of offenders and reducing

offending in the future. This Post Office will stay open thanks to a

new rural communities fund. It is in Somerset. Other villagers are

being encouraged to vote -- apply for money. There is a competition

to find the green city of Europe. Another busy week. Let's pick up on

one of those stories. Prisoner should have the right to vote. Is

that Lib Dem policy? It is. Most prisoners are in for a short period

of time. I have three prisons in my area. When we go inside a prison

Smidt, if we all have an interest that of how prisons work. We could

have a brighter at the prison system. Do you say yourself going

around a prison saying, vote for me? If they had the right to vote,

I would have no problem done that. Most importantly, it should be

decided by the UK Parliament, not by an overseas court. But the

argument is that they have been removed from society and therefore

that means you are excluded for some time. Our prison system does

not work. Reoffending rates are high. Politicians do not engage

what goes on inside a prison is as much as they should. They would not