Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the UK plans to seek observer status at the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Sarah Newton
No decisions have yet been made on our future relationship with the EU's agencies and bodies after leaving the EU. We are seeking a deep and special partnership with the European Union. Our relationship with the European Union's agencies and bodies, including the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, will be evaluated on this basis upon exit
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to seek formal agreement to participate in the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Guy Opperman
We are committed to ensuring that all important functions currently carried out by public bodies at an EU level can be carried out at a UK level in time for exit day. Whether the UK will wish to seek agreement to continue as an EIOPA member once we leave the European Union will depend on the outcome of the broader negotiations about the UK’s trade in financial services.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been helped to (a) remain in and (b) return to work by the Fuller Working Lives initiative in (i) the UK, (ii) Wales and (iii) Aberavon.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The data requested is not held, however the number of older workers in the UK is at a record high, currently there are 10 million workers aged 50 years and over. 8.8 million individuals aged 50-64 are in employment; an increase of over 1 million people compared to five years ago. There are 1.2 million individuals in employment aged 65 and over.
Employment rates for older workers have also been increasing and have recently reached record highs. In the past ten years, the employment rate for people aged 50-64 has increased by 6.2 percentage points (from 64.9% in 2007 to 71.1% in 2017). The employment rate for individuals aged 65 and over has almost doubled to 10.1% now, from 5.1% twenty years ago.
Further information on estimates of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other employment-related statistics for the UK can be found in the “UK labour market: October 2017” statistical bulletin published at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website:
Further information on labour market statistics for separate UK countries, as well as local areas, can be found at the NOMIS website:
The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 years and over to remain in and return to work; the ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’ strategy was published on 2nd February. This, crucially, is led by employers, but it also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting them in planning their careers and their approach to retirement. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available at the attached web address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach
Analysis on the headline measures that the government uses to monitor progress on Fuller Working Lives can be found in this statistical release:
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides on (a) how to request a state pension forecast and (b) the process for claiming a state pension.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Customers can request an estimate of their State Pension, which is known as a State Pension Statement, from The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) up to four months prior to reaching State Pension age by: -
Customers can claim their State Pension from DWP when they are within four months of reaching State Pension age by: -
Customers may be asked to provide documentary verification to support their State Pension claim, depending on the information held by DWP for each respective customer.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women born in the 1950s and affected by the changes in state pension age (a) are entitled to the full state pension, (b) do not have the required number of qualifying years for a full state pension and (c) were contracted out.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The State Pension age changes in the 1995 Pensions Act affect all women born on or after 6th April 1950. The 2011 Pensions Act affects women born between 6th April 1953 and 5th April 1960. The figures in the tables below refer to those women born between 6th April 1950 and 5th April 1960 inclusive who have claimed their State Pension.
Table 1: Numbers of women receiving the full-rate, or less than the full-rate, of basic or new State Pension
Table 1 | Total | Receiving Full Rate | Receiving less than Full Rate |
Basic State Pension | 1,029,600 | 796,900 | 232,700 |
new State Pension | 26,800 | 5,500 | 21,300 |
Total | 1,056,400 | 802,400 | 254,000 |
Note 1: The new State Pension came in for people reaching State Pension age on or after 6th April 2016.
Note 2: The figures above refer to those people receiving the relevant full-rates without considering entitlements to any additional payments e.g. for Additional Pension or Protected Payments.
Those women who are in receipt of the full-rate of State Pension will have at least the number of qualifying years necessary for a full basic or new State Pension. Those receiving less than the full-rate of basic State Pension will not have the required number of qualifying years. Data is not available on the number of qualifying years for those reaching State Pension age on or after 6th April 2016, when the new State Pension system began.
Table 2: Numbers of women with and without contracted-out status
Table 2 | Basic State Pension |
Ever been contracted-out | 477,800 |
Never been contracted-out | 551,800 |
Total | 1,029,600 |
Source: DWP Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, September 2016
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
Note 3: Data is not available for contracted-out status for those reaching State Pension age on or after 6th April 2016, when the new State Pension system began.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve guidance on how people can access information on their contributory years to the state pension in order to plan effectively for retirement.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Our early user research identified that people need to understand the link between their National Insurance contribution record and the State Pension this may give them. This is why we introduced the online Check your State Pension service in February 2016. This service provides a State Pension forecast, the earliest date the user can get their State Pension, and whether they can improve their forecast. The service also allows them to look at their National Insurance record online. Since its introduction, 5.6 million State Pension forecasts have been viewed online.