Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their ongoing pension reviews will assess the pension gender gap for women living with a terminal diagnosis.

The Government recognises that disparities exist between the private pension wealth of men and women.

The Pensions Commission will explore steps to improve pension outcomes, especially for groups at the greatest risk of under saving, including women. The Commission published their interim report on 19 May 2026, setting out key challenges facing the pension system and where it will focus its work, and will publish their final report early next year.

For those living with terminal illness, the Government believes it is compassionate and appropriate to allow access to private pension savings. Individuals with a life expectancy of less than 12 months may take a serious ill-health lump sum at any age, subject to medical evidence and scheme rules. This is tax-free below age 75 up to an allowance of £1.073 million, and otherwise taxed as income.

While the current rules intend to provide flexibility while keeping in place important safeguards to avoid risk of error and misuse, the Government recognises that the permissive nature of these rules means individuals may experience different hurdles to access depending on their scheme. The government wishes to ensure a fair and compassionate approach and will therefore be considering this issue in further detail.