Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in his Department have had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in other Government departments on the level of information contained in Bounty Joy Ltd information provided to new mothers on the possible loss of some future pension rights in the event that those women do not apply for child benefit; and if he will make a statement.

The Government has encouraged families who are responsible for a child under 12 to claim Child Benefit regardless of household income to help them build qualifying years of National Insurance for future State Pension entitlement. The Child Benefit claim form and guidance notes were redesigned in April 2019 to help people understand the importance of claiming Child Benefit whether or not they decide to receive Child Benefit payments.

The Child Benefit claim form is also available online at GOV.UK, through the HMRC helpline and through partners such as Citizen’s Advice.

Qualifying Years of National Insurance can be built through a number of ways; National Insurance (NI) contributions whilst working or self-employed; by being credited with NI credits including for Child Benefit; and through making voluntary NI contributions. Additionally, individuals may build up sufficient qualifying years for the full rate of the new State Pension, over an expected working life of 50 years, even if there are some gaps in their NI record. Most individuals under the age of 50 will get the full rate of the new State Pension with 35 qualifying years.

The Department does not believe that there have been any recent discussions on the matter raised.