Age UK responds to state pension age debate in the HoL

31 March 2011

Age UK has pledged to step up its campaign against government plans to force many women to wait longer for their state pension following the House of Lords debate on the Pensions Bill yesterday (30 March 2011).

Members of the House of Lords showed strong support for reversing the Pensions Bill proposals which will force millions of women to wait longer for their state pension, costing the worst affected as much as £10,000 in lost pension income.

An amendment tabled by Lord McKenzie of Luton and supported by Baroness Howe and the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds aimed to stop the increase in the state pension age from 65 to 66 before 2020. During the debate, many Peers spoke passionately in favour of the amendment, arguing that it gave women more time to plan for a delayed state pension, and highlighting the impact on particular groups of women affected such as carers. The vote was narrowly lost, with 214 votes in favour of the amendment and 226 against, but the close result shows how the level of support for changes to make the Pensions Bill fairer for women.

Michelle Mitchell, Age UK's Charity Director, said: " We are extremely encouraged by the strong support shown in the House of Lords to halt the speeding up of the state pension age rise, and will now be stepping up our campaign to fight these proposals. With increasing numbers of people joining our campaign to give women a fairer pensions deal, it's clear that there is growing opposition to the Government's plans. If given the green light these changes will deny millions of people the chance to plan properly for their retirement and will condemn the poorest to even more hardship. We urge the Government to reconsider its plans to increase the state pension age to 66 before 2020."

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