Pensions Bill

Page 2, line 7, at end insert—

“( )     Regulations may provide for circumstances in which a person may opt to
have a year treated as a qualifying year if by aggregating income from two
or more jobs, that person’s earnings are equal to or greater than the Lower
Earnings Level for that year.”

Page 2, line 13, at end insert—

“( )     A person is not entitled to bereavement support payment and is exempt
from work conditionality as specified in section 30(1A), if he or she has
reached pensionable age.”

Insert the following new Clause—

“Pension statement

(1)     The Secretary of State may by regulation introduce arrangements for the
periodic notification to individuals of their entitlement to request a pension
statement.

(2)     Such regulations shall not require the provision of such notification before
a person has reached the age of 45 nor, subject to subsection (3) below, more
frequently than once every five years.

(3)     Such regulations shall require notification of entitlement to receive a
pension statement in the penultimate year before a person reaches State
Pension age.”

Page 8, line 31, at end insert—

“( )     The weekly rate is not to be increased under subsection (1) if a person has
opted to receive a lump sum.

( )     The amount of any lump sum to which a person who has deferred
entitlement to a state pension shall be set out in regulations.”

Page 11, line 42, leave out subsection (4) and insert—

“(4)     The power may not be used—

(a)   to make amendments that apply to a member who is a protected
person in relation to a scheme, or

(b)   to amend a public service pension scheme or a scheme of a
description specified in regulations under this paragraph.

(5)     Regulations must define what is meant by a protected person in relation to
a scheme for the purposes of subsection (4)(a).”

Page 14, line 10, leave out subsection (5) and insert—

“(5)     The Secretary of State must, for the purposes of a review, appoint a panel
of persons to prepare a report for the Secretary of State on other specified
factors relevant to the review.

(5A)    The panel shall include—

(a)   representatives of the party or parties in opposition at the time;

(b)   representatives of trade unions; and

(c)   representatives of cross bench members of the House of Lords.

(5B)    The panel shall take evidence by way of evidence sessions to be held in
public, and shall have power to determine its own terms of reference for
evidence taking, subject to subsection (5C).

(5C)    The report shall include matters such as disparities in lifespan and healthy
life expectancy by region, gender, occupation and socio-economic class,
type of work undertaken, alternative methods of measuring life
expectancy, and the impact of life expectancy on the labour market.”

Page 15, line 18, at end insert—

“(1A)    The Secretary of State may by regulation and within the overall budget for
bereavement support payment exempt any widowed parent from work
conditionality while in receipt of said payment.”

Insert the following new Clause—

“Assessed income period: indefinite period

Notwithstanding sections 28 and 29 above, any recipient of pension credit
may from the age of 75 years have his or her assessed income period set for
an indefinite period.”