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968179

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes her Department uses to (a) notify people of their state pension entitlement and (b) advise them of the number of additional qualifying years of national insurance contributions required to obtain the full state pension; and whether that information is provided via a single communication.
tabling member constituency	Luton North
tabling member printed	Kelvin Hopkins
uin	170650
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2018 answer text <p>Reforms to the State Pension were recommended by the Pensions Commission in 2005, which was set up under the then Labour Government. These recommendations were taken forward in the design of the new State Pension by the coalition Government.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2014, the Department for Work and Pensions has carried out a comprehensive communication campaign to bring the new State Pension to people’s attention with advertisements in newspapers, on social media and on radio stations across the country as well as working through Stakeholders to raise public awareness of the changes. There is also a significant package of on-line information about the State Pension at <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Our online service, Check your State Pension (CySP), is key in supporting the communication campaign. This service provides a State Pension forecast (based on the individual’s current National Insurance record and an assumption that future years count towards their State Pension), and the earliest date the individual can get their State Pension. Users can look at their National Insurance record, where they will also find out how many qualifying years they have and any gaps in their contributions. Since February 2016, over 10 million State Pension forecasts have now been viewed online, helping millions of people to plan for their retirement. Those who are unable to use the online CySP service can request to get a State Pension forecast posted to them.</p><p> </p><p>The CySP service also gives personalised information on whether the payment of (Class 3) voluntary National Insurance Contributions (vNICs) may improve their forecast. Whether or not an individual can improve their State Pension position by making vNICs will depend upon their own particular circumstances. It is entirely a decision for the individual to make but it may not always be beneficial. A person normally has six years in which to pay vNICs for a given tax year.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone considering making vNICs payments should firstly check their State Pension using the CySP service on <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a>. Where someone pays Class 3 vNICs and the payment does not result in an increase their State Pension, they can request a refund from HMRC.</p><p> </p><p>People with no National Insurance record before the introduction of the new State<br>Pension on 6 April 2016 will need 35 qualifying years to get the full amount of new State Pension, when they reach State Pension age.</p><p> </p><p>For people with an existing National Insurance record before this date, transitional arrangements apply and their existing National Insurance (NI) record to 6 April 2016 is taken into account. (It is therefore not the case that 35 years of National Insurance will result in the full rate of the new State Pension for these people; in these cases there is usually not a direct relationship between the number of years of National Insurance contributions and the amount of State Pension someone receives.)</p><p>People who qualify will receive at least as much from the new State Pension as they would have done from the old system, based on their NI record to 6 April 2018;<br></p><p>Many people will be able to build a higher State Pension amount than they previously could have done by adding further qualifying years until they either reach the full rate of new State Pension, or their State Pension age whichever comes first</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 170652 question first answered 13/09/2018 09:31:01 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	2 label Biography information for Kelvin Hopkins

968182

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) made additional payments to increase the number of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions they require to claim the full state pension and (b) by making such payments have (i) exceeded the 35 years required to claim that pension and (ii) been refunded for making overpayments.
tabling member constituency	Luton North
tabling member printed	Kelvin Hopkins
uin	170651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2018 answer text <p>The requested information relating to the payment of voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions is not readily available.</p><p> </p><p>People with no National Insurance record before the introduction of the new State Pension on 6 April 2016 will need 35 qualifying years to get the full amount of new State Pension, when they reach State Pension age.</p><p> </p><p>For people with an existing National Insurance record before this date, transitional arrangements apply and their existing National Insurance (NI) record to 6 April 2016 is taken into account. (It is therefore not the case that 35 years of National Insurance will result in the full rate of the new State Pension for these people; in these cases there is usually not a direct relationship between the number of years of National Insurance contributions and the amount of State Pension someone receives.)</p><p>People who qualify will receive at least as much from the new State Pension as they would have done from the old system, based on their NI record to 6 April 2018;<br></p><p>Many people will be able to build a higher State Pension amount than they previously could have done by adding further qualifying years until they either reach the full rate of new State Pension, or their State Pension age whichever comes first</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 12/09/2018 11:35:42 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	2 label Biography information for Kelvin Hopkins

968187

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the requirement to have 35 qualifying years of national insurance contributions to be eligible for a full state pension is set out in correspondence sent to people in relation to (a) their national insurance record and (b) their state pension.
tabling member constituency	Luton North
tabling member printed	Kelvin Hopkins
uin	170652
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2018 answer text <p>Reforms to the State Pension were recommended by the Pensions Commission in 2005, which was set up under the then Labour Government. These recommendations were taken forward in the design of the new State Pension by the coalition Government.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2014, the Department for Work and Pensions has carried out a comprehensive communication campaign to bring the new State Pension to people’s attention with advertisements in newspapers, on social media and on radio stations across the country as well as working through Stakeholders to raise public awareness of the changes. There is also a significant package of on-line information about the State Pension at <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Our online service, Check your State Pension (CySP), is key in supporting the communication campaign. This service provides a State Pension forecast (based on the individual’s current National Insurance record and an assumption that future years count towards their State Pension), and the earliest date the individual can get their State Pension. Users can look at their National Insurance record, where they will also find out how many qualifying years they have and any gaps in their contributions. Since February 2016, over 10 million State Pension forecasts have now been viewed online, helping millions of people to plan for their retirement. Those who are unable to use the online CySP service can request to get a State Pension forecast posted to them.</p><p> </p><p>The CySP service also gives personalised information on whether the payment of (Class 3) voluntary National Insurance Contributions (vNICs) may improve their forecast. Whether or not an individual can improve their State Pension position by making vNICs will depend upon their own particular circumstances. It is entirely a decision for the individual to make but it may not always be beneficial. A person normally has six years in which to pay vNICs for a given tax year.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone considering making vNICs payments should firstly check their State Pension using the CySP service on <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a>. Where someone pays Class 3 vNICs and the payment does not result in an increase their State Pension, they can request a refund from HMRC.</p><p> </p><p>People with no National Insurance record before the introduction of the new State<br>Pension on 6 April 2016 will need 35 qualifying years to get the full amount of new State Pension, when they reach State Pension age.</p><p> </p><p>For people with an existing National Insurance record before this date, transitional arrangements apply and their existing National Insurance (NI) record to 6 April 2016 is taken into account. (It is therefore not the case that 35 years of National Insurance will result in the full rate of the new State Pension for these people; in these cases there is usually not a direct relationship between the number of years of National Insurance contributions and the amount of State Pension someone receives.)</p><p>People who qualify will receive at least as much from the new State Pension as they would have done from the old system, based on their NI record to 6 April 2018;<br></p><p>Many people will be able to build a higher State Pension amount than they previously could have done by adding further qualifying years until they either reach the full rate of new State Pension, or their State Pension age whichever comes first</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 170650 question first answered 13/09/2018 09:31:01 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	2 label Biography information for Kelvin Hopkins

934702

registered interest
date	04/07/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report, The impact of state pension reforms on people with guaranteed minimum pensions, published by the National Audit Office in March 2016, what steps her Department has taken to identify people with guaranteed minimum pensions affected by the introduction of the new State Pension; and what guidance her Department has issued to affected people to help them make informed decisions on their future pension arrangements.
tabling member constituency	Falkirk
tabling member printed	John McNally
uin	160779
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2018 answer text <p>The impact of recent pension reforms on people who were contracted out of the additional pension system (and therefore have an entitlement to a guaranteed minimum pension as part of their private pension provision) is dependent on personal circumstances, and there are a multitude of scenarios which can result in a range of different outcomes, both positive and negative. It is not, therefore, practical for government to give general advice to this group; and nor is it an effective use of resources to issue personalised advice to everyone in this situation. The best way for someone who is has been contracted out to find out their state pension provision, and therefore plan their overall later life finances, is to use the ‘Check your state pension’ service.</p><p>The forecasts contained in the Check your State Pension service, as far as is practical, take all impacts into account for an individual when determining their state pension entitlement. Since February 2016, over nine million Check your State Pension forecasts have been viewed.</p><p>In the paper ‘New State Pension: impact on an individual’s pension entitlement – longer term effects’ published by the Department on 14 January 2016, we said:</p><p><em>The final group potentially affected by changes in uprating mechanisms are those who have been contracted-out of the additional pension system at some point in their working life. This is particularly the case where people were contracted-out between 1978/79 and 1987/88. Under the current system these people are awarded an amount of SERPS which is uprated by CPI once in payment. A contracted-out deduction is also made to account for the fact they paid a lower rate of National Insurance, which reduces the amount of SERPS they receive. The individual receives a broadly equivalent amount to the contracted-out deduction of Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) which is paid by the scheme. There is no requirement on schemes under general occupational pensions and social security legislation to uprate GMPs accrued between 1978/79 and 1987/88. Therefore under the current State Pension system contracted-out deductions relating to this period are not uprated. Since SERPs is uprated by CPI, the amount of SERPS received after a contracting-out deduction is made can grow over time. This complex arrangement will end under the new State Pension system and could lead to some people getting a lower notional outcome.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>However, there are two key factors that offset these potential notional losses. Firstly, this group will be highly likely to benefit from more of their pension being uprated by the triple lock as explained above. Secondly, people with periods of contracting-out on their National Insurance record are likely to be able to build additional qualifying years from 2016/17 which will add 1/35th of the full nSP amount to the amount they receive, up to the full rate.</em></p><p>We have reformed the system to replace it with a simpler one for the future which allows people a clear idea early in their careers of what the state will provide, so they can make their own additional savings plans. www.gov.uk/check-state-pension</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 10/07/2018 15:11:37 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

905452

registered interest
date	16/05/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is still a principle of the Government that an individual should spend on average up to one third of their adult life above state pension age.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	144951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2018 answer text <p>The Pensions Act 2014 requires the Government to regularly review State Pension age and report the outcome of that review to Parliament. This process helps to ensure the costs of increasing longevity are shared fairly between the generations and also provides greater clarity for people around how State Pension age will change in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The Government announced in 2013 that people can expect to spend on average up to one third of their adult life in receipt of the State Pension to reflect the experience of recent generations.</p><p> </p><p>The first review of State Pension age by John Cridland was published in 2017 and proposed increasing State Pension age to age 68 between 2037 and 2039, bringing it forward from its current legislated date of 2044-46. This is consistent with the up to one third principle and means everyone born on or before 5 April 1970 will see no change to their State Pension age.</p><p> </p><p>We will carry out a further review before legislating to bring forward the rise in State Pension age to 68, to enable consideration of the latest life expectancy projections and to allow us to evaluate the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/05/2018 14:31:07 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

890298

registered interest
date	24/04/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have retired in advance of receipt of notification of their state pension entitlement in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	137648
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2018 answer text <p>This information is only available at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/04/2018 14:06:53 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

890054

registered interest
date	23/04/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes her Department uses to notify people of their state pension entitlement.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	137105
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2018 answer text <p>Provided that a person has a National Insurance number, we will normally send them details about their options for claiming their State Pension (including how they can put off claiming State Pension to get extra State Pension), to the address held for them on our computer systems about four months before they reach State Pension age.</p><p>In law, the responsibility for claiming any benefit lies with the person concerned. However, as part of our service to people approaching State Pension age, we provide some initial information about their pension entitlement and invite them to complete their State Pension claim either online, by phone or using the specific claim form.</p><p>We try to contact people to invite them to make a claim to State Pension but this can only succeed where the latest address held on our records is correct. These records are updated when claims are made or, in some cases, when National Insurance contribution queries are investigated. Otherwise, we rely on the individual notifying us of a change of address.</p><p>While a person may not receive their individual notification about claiming their State Pension, most people know when to claim. Each person should make appropriate enquiries about State Pension entitlement if they do not hear from us. There is an extensive range of information about the State Pension and social security benefits online at www.gov.uk.</p><p>Bottom of Form</p><p>When a valid State Pension claim has been made, a DWP decision maker notifies a customer by letter of any entitlement. DWP then issues annual State Pension increase notifications by letter to customers’ based on the Chancellor’s Budget Announcement to confirm the new rate of State Pension payable each April.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/04/2018 14:05:57 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

890055

registered interest
date	23/04/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have not received notification of state pension entitlement within two months of retirement in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	137106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2018 answer text <p>This information is only available at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/04/2018 14:06:19 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

890056

registered interest
date	23/04/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department provides compensation to people who do not receiver notification of state pension entitlement within two months of their retirement date.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	137107
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2018 answer text <p>DWP aims to award State Pension claims within 10 workings days of the date in which the customer chose their claim to commence.</p><p> </p><p>On the occasions when a customer is dissatisfied with the service provided by the Department, the DWP complaints procedure includes the provision for a special payment to be made for any delays which may have occurred.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/04/2018 14:06:42 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

886891

registered interest
date	18/04/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much higher the basic state pension is in 2018–19 than it was in 2010–11, following the increase announced in April by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
tabling member printed	Baroness Eaton
uin	HL7052
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2018 answer text <p>In 2010-11 the basic State Pension was £97.65 per week. In 2018-19 it is £125.95 per week, an increase since 2010-11 of £28.30 per week or over £1450 per annum. Legislation for the basic and new State Pensions allows for annual increases at least in line with average earnings growth. This ensures that people above State Pension age receive increases in their basic State Pension income that are in line with earnings growth in the population as a whole. In addition, this Government has committed to increases in line with the Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament, ensuring that increases will be the highest of the growth in prices, earnings or 2.5%. For 2018/19 these pensions increased by 3% (the rate of prices growth under the Consumer Price Index). The full rate of basic State Pension is now £660 more than if it had been uprated by earnings over this period.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/04/2018 15:25:16 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4184 label Biography information for Baroness Eaton