The Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) has encouraged the government to re-consider publishing the independent review of the state pension age ahead of its own review.

The Pensions Minister, Laura Trott, previously revealed that the reports are "still under consideration", with the DWP therefore planning to publish the report “no later than the government’s report”, which is expected by May 2023.

Commenting at the time, however, WPC chair, Stephen Timms, raised concerns that the government is “keeping the evidence hidden” by delaying publication, pointing out that publishing the reports would be in line with the practice for the first review in 2017.

Following on from a recent WPC hearing, Timms has now also written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride, to query whether the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will re-consider publishing the reviews.

In the letter, Timms highlighted comments made by John Cridland, who conducted the first review, about the value of publishing interim findings in advance of a decision.

During the hearing, Cridland explained that this approach had strengthened the quality of the final report by allowing “an alliance of interested parties” to comment on where he might have “misunderstood or got things wrong, or missed key things.”

“Publishing his final report in March 2017, in advance of DWP’s own review, had allowed everyone to “sleep on things” before ministers made their decisions," Timms stated.

“The opportunity for debate is important now because the department said in May 2017 that, while it accepted John Cridland’s recommended timetable for the increase to 68, it would carry out a further review before legislating, to “enable consideration of the latest life expectancy projections and to allow [it] to evaluate the current rises in the state pension age.”

"It also left some issues to be decided, such as how to manage the effects of increases in the state pension age on disadvantaged groups.”

Timms also flagged that projections published since by the Office for National Statistics showed lower gains in life expectancy at age 65 than the projections available at the time of the 2017 review.

In addition to this, he highlighted evidence of the impact of the increase in the state pension age from 65 to 66, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, for instance, revealing that this caused absolute income poverty rates (after accounting for housing costs) among 65-year-olds to climb to 24 per cent, more than double what the IFS estimated it would have been had the state pension age remained at 65.

"The committee has heard arguments that these changes justify a rethink in the current timetable," Timms wrote.

In particular, Timms asked whether the DWP would re-consider publishing the reports from Baroness Neville Rolfe and the government actuary now rather than at the same time as, or slightly before, its own review.

He also queried whether the government intends to allow a period of public consultation before making a final decision on the timetable for future increases in the state pension age, and whether it plans to consult on the age at which pension credit can be claimed.

Timms requested a response by 14 March, ahead of the government’s spring Budget.

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