Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jo Cox and Shailesh Vara

Monday 14th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Jo Cox (Batley and Spen) (Lab)]

8. What the average notice period was for women whose pension age was brought forward by the Pension Act 2011.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr Shailesh Vara)]

Women whose pension age was increased had a notice period, between Royal Assent and their new state pension age, of between four years and eight months and 14 years and five months. The average notice period was 10 years and 11 months.

[Jo Cox]

One of the 1,400 women in my constituency affected by these changes recently told me that she is still waiting for official notification from the Department. Does the Minister accept the abject failure on the part of the DWP to communicate these changes to the women affected by them? Does he think it is acceptable that some women have found out only through the brilliant work of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaigners?

[Mr Vara]

Between 2009 and 2010, over 5 million notices were sent to people, according to the records held by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. I would point out to the hon. Lady that, in 2012, only 6% of women within 10 years of state pension age thought that their state pension age would be at age 60.