Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Joanna Cherry and Guy Opperman

Monday 9th March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West) (SNP)]

12. What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on the state pension age of trends in the level of life expectancy.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Guy Opperman)]

The Government are committed in legislation to undertake a review of state pension age every six years. The 2017 independent review was by John Cridland. The next review will be conducted by 2023 and will give consideration to the latest life expectancy projections. The latest Office for National Statistics projections of cohort life expectancy, published in January 2020, showed that it is projected to continue to increase, and the WHO Global Health Observatory data show that people in the United Kingdom have better life expectancies than European or world averages.

[Joanna Cherry]

The new Marmot review has shown that a decade of Tory policies, from cruel benefit cuts to the unfair treatment of the WASPI women, have stalled life expectancy and increased the years spent in ill health for the poorest in our society. Which Tory policy would the Minister reverse first to begin to undo that damage?

[Guy Opperman]

I am afraid that the hon. and learned Lady is wrong. I will quote from the Marmot review, which says on page 13 that

“Increases in life expectancy have slowed since 2010”,

but then adds at page 15 that

“Life expectancy at birth has been increasing since the beginning of the 20th century.”

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Joanna Cherry and Guy Opperman

Monday 1st July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

19. What recent assessment she has made of the level of pensioner poverty in the UK.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Guy Opperman)]

The overall trend in the percentage of pensioners living in poverty has fallen dramatically over recent decades. Relative pensioner poverty rates before housing costs have halved since 1990 and rates of material deprivation for pensioners are also at record lows. We want to maintain this achievement.

[Joanna Cherry]

On Friday, I met constituents and campaigners from Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign Scotland. Those women told me that they are suffering poverty, distress and significant inequality as a result of a pension decision taken in the name of equality. At a time when the Tory leadership candidates are promising billions of pounds of public spending, those women would like to know why the Government cannot find the cash to right the wrong done to the WASPI women.

[Guy Opperman]

It is not the Government’s intention to change the Pensions Act 1995, the Pensions Act 2007 or the Pensions Act 2011. There was a £1.1 billion concession in 2011. The policy was conceived in 1993, continued under the Labour Government for 13 years, continued under the coalition and will continue under this Government. I should also point out that a judicial review is pending. I cannot comment any further than that.