Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for the upcoming review of all personal independence payment claims.
Answered by Sarah Newton
I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made by myself, Official Report, 30 January 2018, Column 703.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of paying all women aged 60 or over but yet to reach state pension age (SPA) non-means tested income at Jobseekers Allowance rates until SPA is reached.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department has no plans to carry out such an assessment.
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.
This issue has been debated numerous times and numerous statements have already been made. Introducing further concessions cannot be justified given the imperative to focus public resources on helping those most in need.
The current average age of exit from the labour market for women is 63.6 – well above the previous women’s State Pension age of 60. The welfare system continues to provide a safety-net for those experiencing hardship, including for reasons of unemployment, disability and coping with caring responsibilities. The Government is committed to supporting the vulnerable and spends around £50 billion a year on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of women affected by the Pensions Acts 1995 and 2011 in Cardiff North constituency.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953 were affected by State Pension age equalisation under the Pensions Act 1995. The Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the equalisation of State Pension age, and included transitional arrangements limiting State Pension age delays, affecting women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. It also brought forward the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66 which affected women born between 6 December 1953 and 5 April 1960.
Information on the numbers affected by parliamentary constituency is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions. However, the most recent population breakdowns for Wales and its parliamentary constituencies by age can be found here:
The House of Commons library has produced a paper estimating the number of women affected by the 1995 and 2011 Pensions Acts by constituency, which can be found here:
http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7405/CBP-07405constituencyestimates.xlsx