The House of Commons has delayed the decision to debate the increase to women’s state pension age until after a backbench debate has taken place.

The House of Commons petitions committee discussed whether to hold a debate after a petition calling for fair transitional state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s reached over 100,000 signatures.

The committee noted that the backbench business committee has scheduled a debate on Thursday 7 January and therefore it will consider the petition again after the debate.

However, the committee agreed to inform the petitioners about this debate and to request that the petition be tagged to the debate to help ensure MPs taking part are aware of the petition.

The backbench business committee debate, which was tabled by SNP MP Mhairi Black and Labour MP Barbara Keeley, will be held on 7 January.

The brief for the debate states that while the House welcomes the equalisation of the state pension age for men and women, the acceleration directly discriminates against women born on or after 6 April 1951, leaving women with only a few years to make alternative arrangements.

It adds that the government has failed to address a lifetime of low pay and inequality face by many women; and calls on the government to immediately introduce transitional arrangements for those women negatively affected by the equalisation.

The Pensions Act 1995 set out plans to increase women’s state pension age from 60 to 65 in line with men’s. However, The Pensions Act 2011 laid out plans to accelerate the plans to increase women’s state pension age, reaching 65 by 2018.

In addition, between December 2018 and October 2020 the age to claim state pension for both genders will increase to 66.

However, campaign group Women Against State Pension Inequality has petitioned against the rapid increase saying it is unfair. In addition, the group argues that women were not given enough notice about the changes.

The Department for Work and Pensions only began writing to the affected women after the 2011 changes, using address details that HM Revenue and Customs had on file at the time.

“Mailing to these individuals, due to reach state pension age between 2016 and 2026, was completed between January 2012 and November 2013, subject to the accuracy of their address details with HMRC,” the government said in a response to the petition.

The government said it would not review the state pension age of the women affected as the decision was informed by “extensive analysis” and the women will receive the new state pension which is “more generous for many women”.

Share Story: