Women wait for MPs’ state pension decision

Half-a-million women in their late 50s across the United Kingdom, who have been shocked and angered by plans for unexpectedly rapid increases to the state pension age, are demanding action from MPs.
The deadline for amendments to the Pensions Bill is Thursday October 13th and they are waiting to find out if the UK Government will honour its pledge to help those who will be worst affected by the changes before the bill has its report stage and third reading on 18th of October.
Westminster wants the state pension age for men and women to equalise at 65 in November 2018 and then rise to 66 from April 2020. This means 300,000 women born between December 1953 and October 1954 will have to wait an extra 18 months to get their state pension.
An unlucky group of 33,000 women born between March 6th and April 5th 1954 face a two-year delay, losing an average of £10,000 each in state pension income. In total, half a million women across the UK face a delay of a year or more.
Under pressure, Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Liberal Democrat pensions minister Steve Webb both said that the Coalition Government would look at ‘transitional arrangements' to soften the blow on those worst affected in the interests of 'fairness'.
Figures from over-50s financial group Saga suggest four in ten of those affected have no private pension to fall back on and around four in ten are single. The average 56-year-old woman has just £9,100 saved in a private pension, compared with £52,800 for men.
Julia Brock from Edinburgh (above) is one of those affected by the changes. She was born in March 1954 and had been looking forward to retiring just before her 64th birthday. Now she will only be eligible for her state pension at the age of 65, 11 months and 22 days.
She has some pensions' savings and a mortgage to pay off and says: "It is possible for me to continue working but I feel as though I'm being robbed. Getting my state pension when it was originally agreed would have made a huge difference to me."
David Manion, Chief Executive of Age Scotland says: "Age Scotland has been contacted by many of those affected expressing their anxiety and disgust about the proposed changes.
"While we, and they, support the principle of equalising the State Pension age, we strongly oppose the speed at which the change is taking place and its disproportional impact on a particular group of women who will not be given sufficient time to revise their plans a second time.
"‘Many of these women are carers or in poor health and working longer may not be an option. They face bridging up to a two-year gap between their expected and new state pension ages, without enough time to plan properly."
The Government has also faced down a mounting rebellion from its own backbenchers, with some 181 MPs from all parties signing an early-day motion calling on the Coalition to stick to its pledge.
One of those to have signed up to the motion is Livingston MP Graeme Morrice, who said: "This is an injustice that needs to be put right. I understand the need to increase the state pension age, but it is unfair to target this group of women. I am very strongly opposed to what the Government is proposing and if tabled amendments are not accepted, I will vote against these unjust plans on October 18th."
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