Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will undertake a review of the impact of changes implemented as part of the Pensions Act 2014 on the ability of widows to inherit a spouse's state pension entitlement.

There are no current plans to carry out such a review.

The new State Pension, for people reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards, is based on an individual's own National Insurance record. In general, it is not possible, as it was under the old State Pension system, for a person to increase their State Pension or to qualify for a State Pension based on their late spouse or civil partner's National Insurance record, although there is some protection under the transitional arrangements for the new State Pension.

The new State Pension modernised the State Pension system, moving away from an out-of-date model in the past where many women depended on their husbands for their State Pension entitlement. The new State Pension is rooted in the contemporary world, with people’s entitlement determined by their own National Insurance record.

The change on inheritance was one of a number of reforms which need to be seen in the round. These include much greater recognition for periods when women are outside the labour market, caring for children. These reforms have resulted in much improved State Pension outcomes for women. Women reaching State Pension age in the year to December 2024 on average received 99.1% of the amount received by men, with equalisation expected shortly. Under the previous system, on average, women receive 86% of the amount received by men.