Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Keeley Excerpts

Monday 9th May 2016 Commons Chamber

[Kate Hollern (Blackburn) (Lab)]

19. If his Department will introduce transitional protection for women adversely affected by changes in the state pension age.

[Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South) (Lab)]

21. If his Department will introduce transitional protection for women adversely affected by changes in the state pension age.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Vara]

With permission, Mr Speaker, I will take the hon. Lady’s reference, “from one Minister to another” slightly broadly and remind her that, following the passing of the Pensions Act in 1995 there were 13 years of Labour government during which a succession of Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and pensions Ministers did absolutely nothing to try to alter the system that she and her colleagues now seek to change.

[Barbara Keeley]

While Ministers do nothing, my constituents and other people are really suffering. My constituent, a woman born in the 1950s, told me:

“I feel anxious and distressed about how I am going to manage without an income in what has been, for my generation, the expected retirement age.”

It is six months since we had our first debate on this, so will the Minister and the Secretary of State now commit that civil servants will assist with costing the various options for transitional arrangements that have been put forward by Labour?

[Mr Vara]

The hon. Lady asks for a costing. During the 2011 debate the cost was calculated to be £1.1 billion, and there is no intention to revisit the issue.