news story

12th November 2007

West MP Secures Pension Justice for Tens of Thousands of Mothers

***CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE, MAY 2008: GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES STEPS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE!***

Northavon MP Steve Webb is celebrating the success of a campaign for pensions justice for thousands of women who gave up work to bring up their children.

Under the current system, a woman who doesn't pay any National Insurance Contributions because she was at home with a child should have her pension rights protected under a scheme known as Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).

But MP Steve Webb has identified that owing to Government computer problems the pension records of tens of thousands of women are missing this vital information and the women are living on much reduced pensions as a result. To highlight the problem, the Lib Dem MP identified case studies from his own constituency and further afield and submitted them to the Government.

Pensions minister Mike O'Brien has now agreed that the Government will launch a major initiative to identify these women systematically and contact them about increasing their pension. The exercise will involving trawling the computer records of tens of millions of people of working age to help fill gaps in their mothers' pension records.

Commenting on the Minister's decision, Steve Webb said:

"I am delighted that the Government has responded so positively to my campaign. Many thousands of women are suffering because their pension records are incorrect. As a society we should not penalise people who choose to spend time at home bringing up their children and yet many women are losing out for exactly that reason.

"I will be working with Government officials to work out the best way to undertake this scan of computer records so that we can get this missing money to retired women as soon as possible.

It is estimated that the exercise could result in tens of millions of pounds in back pension being paid to tens of thousands of women across Britain.

Note: Home Responsibilities Protection is available for women who were at home
with a child under 16 in any year from 1978-79 onwards. It does not apply
to women who at the time were paying the reduced 'married woman's stamp'.
 

Click here to read how the story was reported in the Daily Mail