Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of uprating overseas pensions.

The policy on the up-rating of UK State Pensions overseas is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. Annual indexed-linked increases are paid to UK State Pension recipients where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that provides for up-rating. There are no plans to change this policy.

This Government continues to take the view that priority should be given to those living in the UK when drawing up expenditure plans for pensioner benefits.