The Government has responded to claims that it is intent on the State Pension being a benefit not paid to all
The State Pension age is currently 66(Image: inyourArea)
The government has responded to calls to lower the State Pension age and increase payments to make it equal to the National Living Wage.
More than 16,553 people have signed a petition that wants a Universal State Pension to be about £30,476.16 per year.
However, the Government has responded, saying that it has “no plans” to implement any of the changes but is “committed to supporting current and future generations of pensioners.”
Creator of the petition, Denver Johnson said: “We want the Government to make the State Pension available from the age of 60 & increase this to equal 48hrs a week at the National Living Wage.
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“Hence from April 2025 a Universal State Pension should be £586.08 per week or about £30,476.16 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above.”We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit not paid to all, while ever increasing the age of entitlement. We want reforms to the State Pension, so that it is available to all including expatriates, from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage, for security.”
The petition currently has 16,563 signatures. Once a petition on the Parliament website reaches over 10,000 signatures the Government has to respond, and if it gains over 100,000 it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
However, in response to the petition, the government stated that it had no plans to reduce the age when people will get the benefit.
The DWP said: “The Government has no plans to make the State Pension available from the age of 60 or for it to equal 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage.
“The Government is committed to supporting current and future generations of pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.
“Our commitment to the Triple Lock through this Parliament will benefit over 12 million pensioners. From the end of this Parliament, spending on the State Pension as a result of our commitment to protect the Triple Lock is forecast to be around £31 billion more a year, compared with 2024/25.
“Our system of state, private, and workplace pensions provides the basis for security in retirement. The new State Pension was introduced in 2016 to be a simpler, clearer, sustainable foundation for private saving, including workplace pensions supported through Automatic Enrolment.
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“The Government also takes seriously the need to ensure future retirees, have a decent standard of living. That is why the Government have recently launched the Pensions Commission to ensure our pensions system delivers this in the decades ahead.
“Supplementary benefits provide additional support, including Pension Credit (which guarantees a minimum level of income for low-income pensioners). Pension Credit passports pensioners to receive other benefits (help with council tax, fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75).
“The Government also announced that everyone over the State Pension age in England and Wales with an income of, or below, £35,000 a year will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment this winter. This extends eligibility to the vast majority of pensioners, with over three quarters benefitting.
“Other key supplementary benefits for low-income pensioners include the Warm Home Discount (rebate on energy bills); Housing Benefit (help with rent) and Discretionary Housing Payments.
“Pensioners with a long-term health condition or disability may also be eligible for additional-costs disability benefits. In England and Wales these are Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment. In Scotland, where this is a devolved matter, they are the Scottish Government’s Pension Age Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment and, from March 2025, Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance.
“In the past year, the Government has put the NHS on the road to recovery, delivering record investment to ensure it is there for pensioners when they need it. We promised 2 million extra appointments: we have delivered more than 5 million. We promised 1,000 new GPs on the frontline and we have recruited over 2,000. We have taken almost a quarter of a million people off waiting lists, cutting them to their lowest level in two years.
“There are no plans to bring State Pension age back down to 60. Increases to State Pension age have been in legislation since the Pensions Act 1995 and there have since been a number of legislated increases to State Pension age introduced under successive Governments. As longevity has increased and our society aged, State Pension age rises have maintained fairness between generations and protected the public finances.”