Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of private pension savings among single mothers.

Automatic Enrolment has increased the number of women contributing to a workplace pension. Pension participation among eligible women in the private sector was 87% in 2021, up from just 40% in 2012. We are taking steps to further increase women’s participation in workplace pensions.

We remain committed to implementing the measures recommended in the 2017 review of Automatic Enrolment in the mid 2020s. These will disproportionately benefit lower earners, including people working in multiple low-paid part time jobs, who are predominantly women. We are supporting Jonathan Gullis MP’s Private Member’s Bill which passed committee stage on Wednesday 15 March, as this presents an immediate route for the legislative powers to expand the Automatic Enrolment framework in the current Parliamentary session.

Changes to Universal Credit announced in the Spring Budget 2023 will support more parents into work or to increase their hours, both of which are likely to increase private pension saving. Parents can claim £300 more per month for childcare for one child or £500 for two children, and lead carers of children aged 1 to 12 will be required to attend more Work Focused Interviews, or increase their Work Related Activity hours.