PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
State Retirement Pensions: Females (18 November 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 52, on state pensions for women, what meetings he has had on the transitional arrangements referred to (a) between 20 June 2011 and 7 May 2015 and (b) since 8 May 2015.

Asked by:
Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour)

Ministers discussed and considered transitional arrangements during the passage on the Pensions Bill 2011.

The Government carried out extensive analysis of the impacts of bringing forward the rise to age 66 when legislating for the change in State Pension age. A final Impact Assessment was published in November 2011 following Royal Assent the Pensions Act 2011.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181461/pensions-bill-2011-summary-of-impacts.pdf

The Impact Assessment includes analysis of the decision to amend the timetable originally set out in the bill so as to cap the maximum increase at 18 months rather than 2 years. 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 around £1 billion in total.

The Government will not be revisiting the State Pension age arrangements for women affected by the 2011 Act.

Answered by:
Justin Tomlinson (Conservative)
23 November 2015