Pensions Bill

Written evidence from Anita Craggs (PB 45)

I am writing to request your support for the women who will be discriminated against by the new flat rate pension. I am one of the thousands of women who will not be eligible to receive this new flat rate because of my date of birth yet males born on the same day as me will receive it. I was born in 1952 so I am already having to wait almost three years to receive my pension which will be at the amount it currently stands, almost £40 a week less than males will receive. Surely we deserve to be either given the new flat rate or, at least, the option of being able to defer receiving our pension until the same date as males so that we too can benefit from the higher amount. I am already having to wait almost 3 years after my 60th birthday before I can take my pension because of the equalisation process so I have a 3 year pension loss already. I appreciate that males of my age do not become eligible until they are 65 but that is only 15 months later. Therefore I will have received £6000 before they begin to take theirs but they will recoup that amount within 3 years of receiving their pension, leaving them receiving approximately £2000 per annum more than females born on the same day. Should I live until 85, that amounts to a difference of £40,000. I am struggling to understand how the law allows such blatant discrimination. I have worked all my life and have paid almost forty years of national insurance contributions. I had understood that one of the aims of the new pensions bill was to help women by reducing the differential between males and females, I would be living the last twenty or so years of my life receiving almost forty pounds a week less than my male counterparts yet have paid just as many qualifying contributions so i will be sentenced to an old age of poverty and misery while my male peers will be substantially better off.

While I agree with equalisation, it should be arranged in a just and fair way. It seems that women are being intentionally discriminated against as well as being treated unjustly. There are many thousands of us in the same position who are extremely worried about our financial future and are anxious to get support to have this injustice rectified.

I understand that one way to resolve this disparity would be for there to be an amendment to the Bill for transitional arrangements to be made. I hope you feel able to support this idea.

July 2013