Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to meet representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign to discuss the effect of 1995 and 2011 changes to women's state pension age.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no current plans to meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign in the immediate future.
This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament, most recently in a Westminster Hall Debate on 5th July 2017 in which I stated I will be meeting the all-party parliamentary group when it is reformed.
In addition to the substantive debate on this issue, previous Ministers have met with WASPI representatives to discuss the effect of the 1995 and 2011 changes to women’s State Pension age. Baroness Ros Altmann and Shailesh Vara MP met with representatives of the WASPI group on 29th June 2016 to listen to their concerns.
This issue was also raised in a meeting on 23 November 2016 between the former Secretary of State Damian Green, the then Minister for Pensions Richard Harrington MP and representatives from the relevant All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
Following these meetings and debates, the government maintains the view that the 1995 and 2011 changes to State Pension age were necessary. We remain very clear that we will make no further changes to the State Pension age or pay financial redress in lieu of pension. Therefore the government believes that there is no value for either party in future meetings with representatives from the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
A key priority for Government remains supporting individuals aged 50 years and over to return to and remain in the labour market, and tackling the barriers to them doing so. Since 2016 much work has been done to provide support back into employment, with 1.2 million over 65’s now in employment. In addition there is training and retraining, in many ways, as well as investment in lifelong learning and returnship schemes. We have also extended our network of older claimant champions to all 34 Jobcentre Plus districts to provide best practice and support to work coaches.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he will take to eliminate inequalities in pension rights.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The decision was made in 1995 to equalise the State Pension age for men and women. This addressed a longstanding inequality in pension age. If State Pension ages had not been equalised, women would be spending over 40% of their adult life in retirement. Men’s and women’s State Pension age will equalise in November 2018.
The new State Pension is much more generous for many women, who have been historically worse off under the old system. By 2030, over 3 million women stand to gain an average of £550 extra per year as a result of recent changes.
Automatic enrolment into workplace pensions was designed to help more people save for their retirement, including groups who historically have been less likely to save, such as women and lower earners. In 2012, overall workplace participation by eligible female employees was 58 per cent, compared to male participation at 52 per cent but since the introduction of automatic enrolment, the participation of female eligible employees has increased to 80 per cent in 2016 with overall male participation at 76 per cent.
As part of the current review of automatic enrolment, the Government has committed to look at the existing coverage of the policy and consider the needs of those not currently benefiting from automatic enrolment. The review will have regard to the Equality Act, as well as the need to balance the needs of individual savers, with affordability for employers and value for money for tax payers.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on implementing pension transitional protection arrangements for women born in the 1950s.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues including the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.
The Government will not be revisiting the State Pension age arrangements for women affected by the Pensions Act 1995 and Pensions Act 2011. These women will receive their State Pension either at the same age as men or earlier as we remove the current inequality.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to introduce a non-means-tested bridging pension to provide an income from the age of 60 years old until state pension age for women affected by the changes to state pension age legislation.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government will not be revisiting the State Pension age arrangements for women affected by the Pensions Act 1995 and Pensions Act 2011. These women will receive their State Pension either at the same age as men or earlier as we remove the current inequality. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession benefited almost a quarter of a million women, who would otherwise have experienced delays of up to two years. A similar number of men also benefited from a reduced increase, and the concession was worth £1.1 billion in total.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
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 providing compensation for losses women who have already reached their state pension age have incurred through changes to the state pension law made by the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government will not be revisiting the State Pension age arrangements for women affected by the Pensions Act 1995 and Pensions Act 2011. These women will receive their State Pension either at the same age as men or earlier as we remove the current inequality. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession benefited almost a quarter of a million women, who would otherwise have experienced delays of up to two years. A similar number of men also benefited from a reduced increase, and the concession was worth £1.1 billion in total.
It is worth noting that the average woman who reached SPa in 2015 gets a higher state pension income over her lifetime than an average woman reaching SPa at any point before. Also, over a lifetime, the average woman who reached State Pension age in 2015 will still receive more than the average man in spite of the rise in women’s state pension age.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has further plans to meet Women Against State Pension Inequality campaigners; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
I am responding on behalf of the Secretary of State, as the Minister for Pensions I have responsibility for this issue.
We have no plans to meet with WASPI campaigners. The Government has been quite clear that the demands of WASPI will not be met, confirming that the Government will make no further changes to their pension age or pay them financial redress.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will meet representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
Answered by David Mundell
I understand that representatives of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) met earlier this year with the then Minister for Pensions, with whom overall responsibility for this area lies. I also understand that there will be a further meeting between All Party Parliamentary Group representatives and my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Minister for Pensions. As this issue is already being discussed through these appropriate channels, I do not plan to meet with WASPI directly, as Secretary of State, at this time.
Ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions have been clear that the Government will make no further changes to the pension age or pay financial redress in lieu of a pension. The UK Government has committed over £1 billion to ensure that the maximum change to women’s State Pension age was limited to 18 months compared to the previous timetable, and transitional arrangements are already in place for this to take effect.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
I am responding on behalf of the Secretary of State (SoS), as Minister for Pensions with overall responsibility on this issue.
The previous Minister Baroness Altmann and Minister Shailesh Vara (the previous Under-Secretary of State for DWP) met with representatives of the WASPI group on 29th June 2016 to listen to their concerns. Although WASPI’s ask was unclear, at the time, Ministers indicated that the DWP did not have the available funds to deliver further concessions.
One other outcome from that meeting was that WASPI agreed to explore options with the relevant All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). A meeting between APPG representatives, the SoS and myself is being taken forward, and consequently there is nothing further to be gained from meeting WASPI representatives directly.
I should add that I have been quite clear that the Government will make no further changes to the pension age or pay financial redress in lieu of a pension.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will discuss with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities the calls by the Women Against State Pension Inequality for transitional state pension arrangements for women in Northern Ireland born in the 1950s.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
DWP Ministers have regular meetings with ministers from devolved administrations where current areas of interest are discussed. In relation to transitional arrangements for the equalisation of State Pension age, the government’s position is clear; equalisation of women’s State Pension age with men and the subsequent increases in the State Pension age will continue as currently scheduled, in line with the legislation.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the calls by Women Against State Pension Inequality for transitional state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s, on or after 6 April 1951.
Answered by Lord Freud
Transitional arrangements are already in place. At the time of the Pensions Act 2011 the government introduced a concession worth £1.1 billion to limit the impact of the rising state pension age on those most affected. The concession capped the maximum delay that anyone would face in claiming their State Pension to 18 months rather than two years, relative to the previous timetable.