Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how changes made as a result of the Pension Act 2011 were communicated to people affected.

Following the 2011 changes, which brought about faster equalisation of men’s and women’s State Pension ages and accelerated the timetable for the rise to 66, DWP wrote to all individuals directly affected to inform them of the change to their State Pension age, using the address details recorded by HMRC at the time.

In addition, the State Pension age equalisation changes were built into the State Pension statement IT system; introduced in 2001. Therefore, statements produced on request using this system would have included women’s new State Pension ages as determined by the 1995 Pensions Act and the 2011 Pensions Act.

DWP also made information on State Pension age changes and who they affect available on Gov.uk, and provided the online State Pension age calculator to give individuals a quick and simple way to check when they will reach State Pension age.

We have committed to completing a review of the State Pension age by May 2017. This is an important opportunity to ensure that State Pension age changes are fully considered by Government and well understood by those they affect.