Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry, published on 16 December, and (2) the finding of the report that the governments of Australia and Canada wnt to cooperate with them to end their policy of freezing state pension payments to British pensioners residing in those countries.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Government has not made an assessment of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry or its findings. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. It is up-rated where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. The Government has no plans to change the policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas; the policy is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government understands that people move abroad for many reasons and that this can have an impact on their finances. However, the decision to move abroad remains a personal choice. Advice that the UK State Pension is not up-rated overseas except where there is a legal requirement has been provided to the public for many years. Information is provided in leaflets and on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry, published on 16 December, that half of pensioners residing abroad whose state pension payments are frozen receive a UK state pension of £65 per week or less.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Government has not made an assessment of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry or its findings. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. It is up-rated where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. The Government has no plans to change the policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas; the policy is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government understands that people move abroad for many reasons and that this can have an impact on their finances. However, the decision to move abroad remains a personal choice. Advice that the UK State Pension is not up-rated overseas except where there is a legal requirement has been provided to the public for many years. Information is provided in leaflets and on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry, published on 16 December, that a majority of pensioners emigrating to countries where a freeze on state pension payments applies were not informed that their pension would be frozen before they left the UK.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Government has not made an assessment of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry or its findings. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. It is up-rated where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. The Government has no plans to change the policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas; the policy is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government understands that people move abroad for many reasons and that this can have an impact on their finances. However, the decision to move abroad remains a personal choice. Advice that the UK State Pension is not up-rated overseas except where there is a legal requirement has been provided to the public for many years. Information is provided in leaflets and on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to end the freeze on state pension payments to UK pensioners residing in countries where this policy applies.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Government has not made an assessment of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions 2020 inquiry or its findings. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. It is up-rated where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. The Government has no plans to change the policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas; the policy is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government understands that people move abroad for many reasons and that this can have an impact on their finances. However, the decision to move abroad remains a personal choice. Advice that the UK State Pension is not up-rated overseas except where there is a legal requirement has been provided to the public for many years. Information is provided in leaflets and on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 7 January (HL12466), with which non-EU countries the UK have entered negotiations to introduce reciprocal arrangements regarding annual increases in the state pension.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The UK is not currently in negotiations with any non-EU country concerning new arrangements to introduce annual increases in State Pension.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 7 January (HL12466), with which EU countries the UK does not have reciprocal arrangements covering the annual uprating of State Pensions in the EU to which they will revert if the UK leaves the EU; and with which of those countries they have entered negotiations for post-Brexit arrangements to replace the European Union Pensions Directive.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The UK has seventeen reciprocal social security agreements with EU Member States which are in use between some or all of the Crown Dependencies and the relevant EU country which provide for reciprocal uprating of state pension. The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. In the event the UK leaves without a withdrawal agreement, the UK will keep the role of pre-existing Reciprocal Agreements with individual Member States under review. Whether these come back into force will be subject to discussion and agreement between the UK and the relevant EU Member State.
There are ten EU countries where there is no reciprocal social security agreement in place. Those countries are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The UK government has taken the necessary steps to protect the rights of citizens through legislation and set out the measures it will take in a no deal scenario. The measures are based on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement in the policy paper: “Citizens’ Rights - EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU” dated 6 December 2018. For social security arrangements, the UK will have retained EU law allowing the UK to apply the current social security coordination rules to protect those in receipt or entitled to a UK State Pension or benefit, including where they live in the EU. This will apply equally to citizens from all EU Member States. In a no deal scenario, we will uprate the UK State Pension for those living in the EU in 2019-20, with a view to securing continued reciprocal social security arrangements in future.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 7 January (HL12466), with which EU countries the UK currently has reciprocal arrangements covering the annual uprating of State Pensions in the EU to which they will revert if the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The UK has seventeen reciprocal social security agreements with EU Member States which are in use between some or all of the Crown Dependencies and the relevant EU country which provide for reciprocal uprating of state pension. The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. In the event the UK leaves without a withdrawal agreement, the UK will keep the role of pre-existing Reciprocal Agreements with individual Member States under review. Whether these come back into force will be subject to discussion and agreement between the UK and the relevant EU Member State.
There are ten EU countries where there is no reciprocal social security agreement in place. Those countries are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The UK government has taken the necessary steps to protect the rights of citizens through legislation and set out the measures it will take in a no deal scenario. The measures are based on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement in the policy paper: “Citizens’ Rights - EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU” dated 6 December 2018. For social security arrangements, the UK will have retained EU law allowing the UK to apply the current social security coordination rules to protect those in receipt or entitled to a UK State Pension or benefit, including where they live in the EU. This will apply equally to citizens from all EU Member States. In a no deal scenario, we will uprate the UK State Pension for those living in the EU in 2019-20, with a view to securing continued reciprocal social security arrangements in future.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 11 December (HL12190), whether UK citizens who have retired to or are planning to retire to Italy will continue to receive the annual increase in their state pensions if the UK leaves the EU with no deal.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The UK State Pension will continue to be payable worldwide following the UK’s departure from the EU. As the Government set out in its Policy Paper ‘Citizens’ Rights – EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU’ we want to secure continued reciprocal arrangements covering the uprating of State Pensions in the EU even in the event of a ‘no deal’ exit. We will uprate the UK State Pension for those living in the EU in 2019-20.
The paper on Citizens’ Rights is attached for reference.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 3 December (HL11577), whether UK citizens who have retired, or are planning to retire, in Italy will continue to receive the annual increase in their state pensions after the UK leaves the European Union.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, we now have the basis on which to maintain State Pension up-rating once the UK exits the EU, for those who are already receiving their UK State Pension as well as future UK State Pension recipients. We will wish to discuss State Pension up-rating for individuals not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement in future talks.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they are making for UK citizens to be able to retire to Italy after the UK has left the European Union; and what advice, if any, they provide to those who wish to do so.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Agreement and Political declaration on future relations with the EU marks a significant step forward regarding the UK’s relationship with the EU after we exit the European Union. We have agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. We have also agreed the broad terms of our future relationship as set out in the outline Political Declaration which includes defined elements of social security coordination.