Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) extending the transitional arrangements for buying missing national insurance contributions beyond 5 April 2023 and (b) increasing staffing for the relevant HMRC and Pension Centre Helplines.

I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement (Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament) was made on 7 March 2023 by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July 2023. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.