Women unfairly affected by state pension rises - NAPF comment on Pensions Bill 2nd reading

The National Association of Pension Funds commented on plans to raise the state pension age which were debated in Parliament today.

Joanne Segars, NAPF Chief Executive, said:

“The Government needed to revisit this issue to try and iron out the unfairness, and it’s disappointing they haven’t listened.Telling someone in their late 50s that they'll have to work another two years is out of order, and leaves many struggling with the switch into retirement.

“The state pension age for women should be brought into sync with men's. But women are bridging six years and so need more time to catch up. For 330,000 women the process has to become more manageable. The Government must step forward quickly with details on how it will help them.

“Ultimately we are all living longer and that means more time spent at work. The trade-off for working longer must be a better state pension. We need a more generous, simpler pension that sets a clear foundation for retirement.”

Notes to editors:

1) Joanne Segars is available for interview.

2) The NAPF is the leading voice of workplace pensions in the UK. We speak for 1,200 pension schemes with some 15 million members and assets of around £800 billion. NAPF members also include over 400 businesses providing essential services to the pensions sector.

Contacts:

Paul Platt, Head of Media, NAPF, 020 7601 1717 or 07917 506 683, [email protected] 

Christian Zarro, Press Officer, NAPF, 020 7601 1718 or 07825 171 446, [email protected]