Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has stepped up her campaign against the way in which the State Pension age has been increased for women born in the early 1950s.
Changes introduced by legislation in 1995, and then in 2011, mean that millions of women born after 6th April 1950 – who had previously expected to retire at age 60 – will not be entitled to receive the State Pension until between the ages of 63 and 66. Some women have been affected by both changes, seeing their State Pension age increased twice in this period, whilst many have received very limited notification of the increase, and have therefore had insufficient time to put alternative plans in place.
Catherine voted against the 2011 Pensions Act because of the disproportionate impact of the changes on this group of women, and repeatedly raised concerns with Ministers about this issue in the Commons. She has since regularly written to the new Pensions Minister, Baroness Altmann, to urge her to look again at the financial hardship being caused. The Minister has previously stated that there is ‘no more’ she can do on the matter, despite having campaigned vociferously against the 2011 changes in her previous role as Director General of Saga.
Catherine has today asked the Minister again to reconsider the injustice of this situation, stating that as the Pensions Minister it is ‘her duty to do so.’
Catherine’s letter states:
‘I fully appreciate the need to equalise the State Pension age for men and women, and to increase it gradually in order to make our pension system sustainable in the long term. However, I am very firmly of the belief that it is totally wrong that this group of women – many of whom have faced discrimination throughout their lives – are being expected to bear the cost of the changes, with some of them being hit twice over.
‘This is particularly so as it becomes increasingly clear that many have had very little, if any, information from the Government (about either the 1995 or 2011 changes), and therefore the time to plan properly for this. The Government now recognises the importance of adequate notification as it has committed to giving individuals affected by changes to their State Pension age at least 10 years’ notice in future. However, as I have said to you before, this is of little relevance to those women born in the early 1950s, and indeed serves only to highlight to them how poorly they have been treated.
‘I know that many affected women in my constituency have already given up work or reduced their hours as a result of ill health, caring responsibilities or changed family circumstances – in the mistaken belief that they could survive on savings until their anticipated State Pension age (which for many was still 60) – only to discover, in some cases, that they will have to wait until 2020 when they are 66. I would emphasise to you again the very serious challenges faced by older women who find themselves in this situation, with limited opportunities to find alternative sources of income – particularly in the North East, which continues to have the highest unemployment of anywhere in the country.
‘It is just not acceptable to leave these women high and dry. I would therefore strongly urge you, once again, to reconsider the injustice of this situation – taking on board all of the concerns that are being raised, including by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, and then act urgently on them to ensure that proper transitional arrangements are put in place (as indeed the Secretary of State promised he would do when the matter was being debate in Parliament in 2011). As the Pensions Minister, I believe it is your duty to do so.’
Catherine also commented:
‘It’s important that MPs keep up the pressure on the Minister, alongside campaign groups like WASPI, about the very real impact these changes are having on women across the country and I am simply not prepared to let this matter lie.
‘I am also writing to the Minister with examples from my constituency of the personal impact of these State Pension age changes, and will do this for anyone who gets in touch with me. I would therefore urge any Newcastle North residents to share their case with me so that I can continue to put pressure on the Government to do the right thing.’
A full copy of Catherine’s letter to the Minister can be viewed by clicking on the images below.
