Oral Answers to Questions

Paul Uppal Excerpts

Monday 22nd November 2010 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)]

1. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of trends in longevity on his Department’s expenditure on pensions.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Steve Webb)]

Between 2004 and 2008, our estimates of life expectancy at pension age rose by more than a year. For those who reach pension age this year alone, that will add £6.5 billion to their expected pensions over their lifetimes.

[Paul Uppal]

Does not increasing longevity make even more urgent the Department’s plans to get more people saving for their old age?

[Steve Webb]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have taken forward plans introduced by the previous Government for automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, so that as people are working for longer, they can still retire on decent pensions, through more workplace saving.