Oxford East MP Andrew Smith has denied that he pulled out of giving speeches about pensions at two major conferences.

Mr Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, withdrew from the two engagements, according to a report in The Times, amid growing concern about the issue.

The report included a claim from David Willetts, the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, that Mr Smith was a "minister in hiding".

But Mr Smith told the Oxford Mail that he had been unable to attend the National Association of pension Funds' annual conference last Friday due to commitments in east Oxford.

He added that he would be attending the Institute of Actuaries's pensions conference in Brighton on Monday, June 2 -- contrary to the report in The Times.

The Cabinet minister said he had a "very demanding diary" and that he had never committed himself to the first engagement.

He added: "We made arrangements for Merseyside MP Maria Eagle to attend the first conference but the organisers claimed she was too junior.

"The second conference originally wanted me to attend in the evening but I'm flying to Luxembourg that night for a meeting of the employment and social security ministers of the European Union to discuss employment guidelines.

"However, I have told the organisers that I will be able to go along during the day and they are quite happy with that.

"David Willetts is in opposition so he was bound to say what he has said, but he is wrong.

"We have published a Green Paper on occupational pensions with a lot of options in it.

"There has been extensive consultation, we have had the responses and are preparing a policy statement, which I will announce as soon as I am able."

Mr Smith said the Government was preparing to launch a new pension credit system which could provide some pensioners with an additional £400 a year. He added that further reforms were also being considered to address concerns about occupational pensions.