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85-411: Women Against State Pension Inequality ( WASPI ) is a voluntary UK-based organisation founded in 2015 that campaigns against the way in which the state pension age for men and women was equalised. They call for the millions of women affected by the change to receive compensation. The 1995 Pensions Act increased the state pension age for women from 60 to 65 in order to equalise the age with men, with

170-541: A Category B pension on the same basis. No provision has been made for married partners to claim a reduced pension under the New State Pension, as it is intended people will have longer working lives and personal contribution records to claim against. Married women with young children and careers can claim credits of National Insurance contributions. Pensioners with low incomes, or without enough qualifying years can claim Pension Credit . An 'age addition' of 25p

255-451: A career in domestic politics or are awarded in the colonial context not on grounds of justice, contract or socio-economic merits, but as a political decision, in order to take a politically significant person (often deemed a potential political danger) out of the picture by paying him or her off, regardless of seniority. These are pensions granted by the sovereign from the Civil List upon

340-550: A committee of the House of Commons inquired into the subject. An appendix to the Report contains a detailed list of all hereditary pensions, payments and allowances in existence in 1881, with an explanation of the origin in each case and the ground of the original grant; there are also shown the pensions, etc., redeemed from time to time, and the terms upon which the redemption took place. The nature of some of these pensions may be gathered from

425-507: A current agreement (which includes most Commonwealth countries) have their pensions frozen at the rate in effect on the date when they left the UK, or on the date when they applied for a pension, whichever is later. Before the Pensions Act 1995 , the state pension age had been 60 for women, and 65 for men. The Act changed this so that the women's pension age would be made equal with men, but that

510-462: A fixed civil list, this civil list became the source from which the pensions were paid. The three pension lists of England, Scotland and Ireland were consolidated in 1830, and the civil pension list reduced to finance the remainder of the pensions being charged on the Consolidated Fund . In 1887 Charles Bradlaugh MP protested strongly against the payment of perpetual pensions, and as a result

595-521: A full Basic State Pension, with a single qualifying year required to get any State Pension. Since 6 April 2016, 35 qualifying years are needed to receive the full new state pension. State Pension amounts can be reduced if the pensioner was in a contracted-out works pension scheme. Individuals with less than a full record of qualifying years, may elect to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions , in order to boost their record for pension purposes. People in certain circumstances, such as caring for

680-568: A key tool to attract and retain staff. In the second half of the 20th century, there was a succession of legislative changes to protect pension scheme members, prevent abuse of the generous tax-reliefs available and prevent fraudulent activity. Some of these changes were precipitated by Robert Maxwell's plundering of the Mirror Pension Funds. This led to the Goode Report , whose recommendations were implemented by comprehensive statutes in

765-516: A lump sum and an unenhanced pension. The lump sum is the amount of pension payments foregone plus interest at 2% per year over the Bank of England base rate . For individuals who reach SPA on or after 6 April 2016, deferred pensions are increased by 1% for every 9 weeks that the pension is not claimed (approximately 5.8% per year). The basic State Pension is based on the National Insurance record of

850-454: A mistress of George II , had a pension of £3,000 (equivalent to £548,983 in 2023). These pensions had been granted in every conceivable form during the pleasure of the Crown , for the life of the sovereign, for terms of years, for the life of the grantee, and for several lives in being or in reversion. On the accession of George III and his surrender of the hereditary revenues in return for

935-534: A number of parliamentary debates. The issue played an important part in the 2017 general election with Labour's Jeremy Corbyn raising it in a session of Prime Minister's Questions and the SNP pledging to support the women. However, the Conservative government rejected the calls of WASPI, arguing that they had to make the state pension more affordable for taxpayers and requiring men to work longer than women by 5–7 years

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1020-408: A number of solutions available to help companies meet government compliance by their staging date, an example of this would be NEST which was set up by the government. Between the introduction of auto enrolment and April 2016, "the overall proportion of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension increased from 55% to 78%" with the largest increases found in the private sector. In July 2023,

1105-415: A provider (such as an insurance company). Similar tax advantages will usually be available as for occupational schemes. Contributions are typically invested during an individual's working life, and then used to purchase a pension at or following retirement. Various names are given to different types of individual arrangement, but they are not fundamentally different in nature. The generic term personal pension

1190-532: A public competitor designed to be a low-cost and efficient fund manager, called the National Employment Savings Trust (or "Nest"). Partially as a result of the new regulation, since the turn of the century there has been significant decline in the provision of defined benefit pensions in the private sector, with money purchase arrangements increasingly being used for new benefit accrual. In November 2023, The Trussell Trust calculated that

1275-629: A qualifying pension scheme and to contribute to the scheme. These measures implemented recommendations from the Making Automatic Enrolment Work review and revised some of the automatic enrolment provisions in the Pensions Act 2008. The Act amended existing legislation that provided for revaluation or indexation of occupational pensions and payments by the Pension Protection Fund. The Act defined "money purchase benefits" for

1360-518: A result of bringing forward the increase to 66, the timetable contained in the Pension Act 1995 for equalising women's and men's state pension ages at 65 by April 2020 was accelerated, so that the women's state pension age reached 65 in November 2018. The Act introduced amendments to primary legislation to amend the regulatory framework for the duty on employers to automatically enrol eligible workers into

1445-416: A reward for political services from the time of Charles II onwards. Such pensions were very frequently attached as salaries to places which were sinecures, or, just as often, resulted in grossly overpaid posts which were really unnecessary, while the duties were discharged by a deputy at a small salary. Prior to the reign of Queen Anne , such pensions and annuities were charged on the hereditary revenues of

1530-544: A severely disabled person for more than 20 hours a week or claiming unemployment or sickness benefits, can claim National Insurance credits. NI contributions paid between April 1961 and April 1975 result in an entitlement to a small Graduated Retirement pension . NI contributions paid between April 1978 and April 2002 result in an entitlement to an additional pension from the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme , although this will be very small if

1615-590: A shift whereby the poor were seen merely as morally degenerate, and were expected to perform forced labour in workhouses . The beginning of the modern state pension was the Old Age Pensions Act 1908 , which provided 5 shillings (£0.25) a week for those over age 70 whose annual means did not exceed £31 10s. (£31.50). It coincided with the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905–1909 and

1700-503: A single adult in the UK in 2023 needs at least £29,500 a year to have an acceptable standard of living, up from £25,000 in 2022. On 14 November 2024, Rachel Reeves announced plans to merge pension funds into megafunds to unlock up to £80 billion for investment and boost the UK's economic growth. The reform, set to manage £500 billion by 2030, drew inspiration from similar initiatives in Australia and Canada. While business leaders welcomed

1785-470: A way of providing all of its employees with access to a pension plan run by a single provider. By grouping all the employees together in this way, it is normally possible for the employer to negotiate favourable terms with the provider, thus reducing the cost of pension provision to the employees. The employer will also normally contribute to the GPPP. Perpetual pensions were freely granted either to favourites or as

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1870-529: A week is paid to people over 80. A new approach was introduced following the findings of the all-party Pension Commission in 2006 and the white paper Security in retirement: towards a new pension system published in May 2006. The key provisions were: The government originally proposed that in April 2017 the basic State Pension and Second State Pension should both be replaced by a single, flat-rate pension. A green paper

1955-470: A week, plus a "protected amount" if they have already earned a second State pension greater than £37 a week (which is the difference between the current basic State Pension and the proposed flat-rate pension), and minus a "rebate-derived amount" if they have paid smaller National Insurance contributions because they were "contracted out" of the Second State Pension Scheme (or its predecessor,

2040-501: A yearly average of 50 (weeks’) contributions from either the age of 16, or since 5 July 1948, or the date they began insurable employment). The benefits paid under basic State Pension are increased in April each year to pensioners living in the UK and in certain overseas countries which have a social security agreement with the UK that includes British pension uprating, in line with the CPI . All state pensions for these pensions are protected by

2125-453: Is a benefit payable to men born on or after 6 April 1951, and to women born on or after 6 April 1953. The maximum amount payable is £221.20 a week (April 2024 - April 2025). The State Pension is a ' contribution-based ' welfare benefit, and depends on an individual's National Insurance (NI) contribution history. To qualify for a full pension (amounts given above), an individual would require: In years where fewer than 52 weeks' NI were paid,

2210-516: Is based on years worked, with a 35-year work history yielding a pension of £203.85 per week. It is linked to wage and price increases. Most employees and the self-employed are also enrolled in employer-subsidised and tax-efficient occupational and personal pensions which supplement this basic state-provided pension. Historically, the "Old Age Pension" was introduced in 1909 in the United Kingdom (which included all of Ireland at that time). Following

2295-400: Is referred to as automatic enrolment , and moves a significant amount of responsibility onto the employer to ensure that their employees are enrolled in a workplace pension scheme. Research based on ONS labour market data has found that partly due to the equalisation of the state pension age, women are driving employment growth in the UK and that the number of females over 65 working doubled in

2380-413: Is used to refer to arrangements established since the rules were liberalised in the 1980s (earlier arrangements are usually called retirement annuity contracts ), but can be subdivided into other types (such as the self-invested personal pension , where the member is allowed to direct what their contributions should be invested in). A report showed that the average pension needed for a basic retirement in

2465-702: The Basic State Pension (alongside the Graduated Retirement Benefit , the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme , and the State Second Pension ; collectively known as Additional State Pension ) is a benefit payable to men born before 6 April 1951, and to women born before 6 April 1953. The maximum amount payable for the Basic State Pension component is £169.50 a week (April 2024 - April 2025). The new State Pension

2550-464: The Department for Work and Pensions announced that small pots worth less than £1000 would be consolidated into larger schemes in order to tackle an issue that had been exacerbated unintentionally by auto-enrolment, the problem of lost pension pots. Every time a worker switched jobs they would open a new scheme, meaning many workers had lots of pots and had difficulty keeping track of them. By consolidating

2635-612: The Duke of Grafton . This was purchased in 1825 from the duke for an annuity of £843, which in turn was commuted in 1883 for a sum of £22,714/12/8. To the same duke was given the Office of the Pipe or Remembrancer of First-Fruits and Tenths of the Clergy . This office was sold by the duke in 1765 and, after passing through various hands, was purchased by one R. Harrisor in 1798. In 1835 on the loss of certain fees

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2720-542: The Duke of St Albans , illegitimate son of Charles II, had an Irish pension of £800 a year (equivalent to £160,347 in 2023); Catherine Sedley , mistress of James II , had an Irish pension of £5,000 a year; the Duchess of Kendal and the Countess of Darlington , respectively mistress and half-sister of George I , had pensions of the united annual value of £5,000 (equivalent to £596,135 in 2023), while Madame de Wallmoden ,

2805-557: The Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (OPRA) with the Pensions Regulator and relaxing the stringency of minimum funding requirements for pensions, while ensuring protection for insolvent businesses. In a major update of the state pension, the Pensions Act 2007 aligned and raised retirement ages. Since then, the Pensions Act 2008 has set up automatic enrolment for occupational pensions , and

2890-652: The Pension Schemes Act 1993 and the Pensions Act 1995 . The early 1990s established the existing framework for state pensions in the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 and Superannuation and other Funds (Validation) Act 1992 . In 2002 the Pensions Commission was established as a cross-party body to review pensions in the United Kingdom. The first Act to follow was the Pensions Act 2004 , which updated regulation by replacing

2975-497: The Pensions Act 2007 . However, when the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition took power, the Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the rise of the state pension age to 66 for both men and women by 6 October 2020. Under the Pensions Act 2014 , the coalition government again accelerated the rise in the state pension age to 67 by 6 April 2028. In May 2019, a challenge in the High Court failed to reverse decisions to accelerate

3060-591: The Supreme Court refused the women's application for permission to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal. The current ages for the state pension in law are as follows: It is possible to defer claiming a State Pension at SPA. For individuals who reached SPA before 6 April 2016, deferred pensions are increased by 1% for every 5 weeks that the pension is not claimed (approximately 10.4% per year). Alternatively pensioners who have deferred their pension can claim

3145-471: The "triple lock" guarantee introduced by the 2010–2015 coalition government , meaning that the benefit rises each year by either the annual price inflation, or average earnings growth, or a guaranteed 2.5% minimum, whichever is the greatest. Coming into effect each April, the uprating is based on the previous September's CPI inflation, along with the annual increase in weekly earnings averaged over May to July. The triple Lock has been replaced for one year for

3230-434: The 10 years between 2009 and 2019. Employers were required to initiate automatic enrolment into their workplace according to set staging dates based on the number of employees in the company. These dates varied from 1 January 2012 to 1 January 2017, with larger firms required to meet compliance guidelines first, and smaller firms later. There were penalties for companies who are not compliant by their staging date. There are

3315-445: The 2022 increase with a double lock with the average earnings element removed. This was because the government believed there was a statistical anomaly due to Covid having depressed the 2020 earnings figures. In November 2023, The Trussell Trust calculated that a single adult in the UK in 2023 needs at least £29,500 a year to have an acceptable standard of living, up from £25,000 in 2022. Pensioners living in other countries without

3400-468: The Additional Pension schemes is voluntary. Those who do not wish to participate can contract out . This option was introduced with SERPS in 1978 and is only available to those who have made alternative pension arrangements through Personal or Occupational schemes. Further changes to be introduced in 2012 will see S2P change from an "earnings related" to a "flat rate" pension, and individuals will lose

3485-669: The Consolidated Fund. Neither of these pensions is currently active, the Rodney Pension was commuted in 1924 for a sum of £42,000, and the Nelson Pension was ended as a result of the Trafalgar Estate Act 1947. This Act allowed for the pension to continue to be paid to the then-current recipient and his heir , and provided for payments to cease on the death of the heir. These are type sui generis as they either reward

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3570-540: The Second World War, the National Insurance Act 1946 completed universal coverage of social security. The National Assistance Act 1948 ( 11 & 12 Geo. 6 . c. 29) formally abolished the poor law, and gave a minimum income to those not paying National Insurance. The Basic State Pension was also introduced in 1948. Occupational pension schemes also flourished after the Second World War, with pensions becoming

3655-492: The State Earnings Related Pension Scheme). The new, single-tier State Pension would eventually remove the need for Pension Credit. It is also proposed that various rules regarding marriage, divorce and bereavement would be phased out. This would mean that Category B pensions (see above) would be replaced by Category A pensions for everyone, although any rights to a Category B pension that existed at

3740-499: The UK had risen by nearly 60% over three years to £107,800, driven by escalating living costs. Many workers worried they might never be able to retire, with heightened concerns among low-paid workers, women, and renters. Stakeholder pensions (insured personal pensions, with charges capped at a low level) are a form of pension arrangement designed to be easily understandable and available. Stakeholder pensions are in effect personal pension schemes set up on terms which meet standards set by

3825-455: The benefits which could be provided, which led to a growth of 'unapproved' (i.e. without the generous tax treatment) retirement arrangements—these unapproved schemes were commonly distinguished by reference to their funding status ( funded unapproved retirement benefit schemes FURBS and unfunded unapproved retirement benefit schemes UURBS). It is also possible for an individual to make contributions under an arrangement they themselves make with

3910-404: The change to be phased in over ten years from 2010 for women born between 1950 and 1955. This transition was later sped up by the 2011 Pensions Act. Both the 1995 and 2011 changes came as a shock to many, with women discovering that they would have to wait up to six years longer for their state pension, potentially affecting their retirement plans. In 2015, WASPI was formed by five women to argue for

3995-466: The cost of providing personal pension benefits to members of those schemes. The Act also contained a number of measures to correct particular references in the existing body of pensions-related legislation and other small and technical measures to both state and private pension legislation. This included the following measures: State pension comprises three main elements – the basic pension, additional pensions, and pension guarantee. These are described in

4080-439: The employer (and sometimes also the employee) makes regular payments (typically a percentage of salary) into a pension fund, and the fund is used to buy a pension when the employee retires. So the amount of pension depends on a number of factors including the accumulated amount of the fund, interest rates and projected mortality rates at the time the individual retires. UK occupational pension schemes are typically jointly funded by

4165-401: The employer and the employees. These are called "contributory pension schemes" since the employee contributes. "Non contributory pension schemes" are where the employer funds the scheme with no contribution from the individual. Contributions are put into a separate trust , whose assets will be used to provide benefits in due course. Defined benefit pension schemes may be affected to swings in

4250-581: The equalisation of the pension ages on the ground that not enough notice was given. The Conservative Party in its 2019 manifesto stated that it would not change the rules, while the Labour Party committed itself to compensating women who were unfairly affected by the changes in the pension age. An appeal to the Court of Appeal against the decision of the High Court was dismissed on 15 September 2020. On 31 March 2021

4335-472: The financial markets. The Pension Protection Fund was set up to act as a safety net in case a scheme was unable to pay the defined benefits it was committed to. According to the PPF, pension funds in the UK are estimated to have been £367.5 billion in deficit at the end of January 2015. The report puts the deficit at 40%. The PPF figures show that the funds fell into overall deficit at the end of 2011. The situation of

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4420-474: The following examples: All these pensions were for services rendered, and although justifiable from that point of view, a preferable policy is pursued in the 20th century, by Parliament voting a lump sum, as in the cases of Lord Kitchener in 1902 (£50,000) and Lord Cromer in 1907 (£50,000). Charles II granted the office of Receiver-General and Controller of the Seals of the Court of Kings Bench and Common Pleas to

4505-482: The following sections. Three different state schemes have existed to provide extra pension provision above the Basic State Pension (BSP). These are collectively known as Additional Pension. They have been available only to employees paying National Insurance contributions and to certain exempted groups (not including the self-employed). The three schemes are/were: Unlike the Basic State Pension, participation in

4590-439: The full basic State Pension, then when she reaches her State Pension Age, she will have her basic State Pension topped-up to 60 per cent of her husband's Category A basic State Pension, once her husband reaches pension age. Men, born after 5 April 1945, are able to claim a Category B pension based on their wives' contribution record. Similarly, civil partners who reach State Pension Age on or after 6 April 2010 are able to claim

4675-417: The generation benefited; that offices with salaries and without duties, or with merely nominal duties, ought to be abolished; that all existing perpetual pensions and payments and all hereditary offices should be abolished: that where no service or merely nominal service is rendered by the holder of an hereditary office or the original grantee of a pension, the pension or payment should in no case continue beyond

4760-475: The government (for example there are restrictions on the charges the provider may make). Although a stakeholder pension is a personal pension, they can (and in some circumstances must) be offered by an employer as a cost-effective way of providing pension cover for their workforce. Group personal pensions are another pension arrangement that are personal pensions, but are linked to an employer. A group personal pension plan (GPPP) can be established by an employer as

4845-552: The government did not help lessen the impact on the affected women. This move coincided with International Women's Day and a march in London that many WASPI members attended. The organisation also has a number of groups across the country who campaign locally, including by asking their constituency MPs to sign the WASPI pledge. Since the launch of WASPI, the issue of the state pension age has become more prominent leading to its discussion in

4930-556: The government to provide transitional payments to women born in the 1950s receiving their pension after the age of 60. They also call for compensation to women who now receive a state pension but had to wait longer. Three of the original founders stepped down as leaders after a split in August 2016. A further three directors resigned in February 2018 following an emergency board meeting held the previous month where irreconcilable differences led to

5015-558: The holder was compensated by a perpetual pension of £62/9/8. The Duke of Grafton also possessed an annuity of £6,870 in respect of the commutator of the dues of butlerage and prisage . To the Duke of St Albans was granted in 1684 the office of Master of the Hawks . The sum granted by the original patent were: Master of Hawks, salary £391/1/5.; four falconers at £50 per annum each, £200; provision of hawks, £600; provision of pigeons, hens and other meats £182/10/-.; total, £1373/11/5. This amount

5100-553: The implementation date would be preserved. These changes are now law, they were enacted by the Pensions Act 2014 which received royal assent on 14 May 2014. Pensions in the United Kingdom#Additional Pension Pensions in the United Kingdom , whereby United Kingdom tax payers have some of their wages deducted to save for retirement, can be categorised into three major divisions - state, occupational and personal pensions. The state pension

5185-506: The increase to pension age as a result of the public campaigns, and that older women's pension ages were increased by less. He also noted that compensation for affected women could either be assessed individually or by a flat payment. The Ombudsman stated that "the Department must do the right thing and it must be held to account for failure to do so". State Pension (United Kingdom)#State Pension age The Old State Pension consists of

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5270-484: The individual was "contracted out" of this arrangement. Since April 2002 NI contributions have earned an additional State Second Pension. Before April 2016, a wife or husband could claim extra basic State Pension based on the National Insurance contributions paid by his or her husband or wife (this extra is called a Category B pension). If a woman has a Category A basic State Pension of less than 60 per cent of

5355-407: The individual. Each year that National Insurance was paid is called a qualifying year. For 2023–2024 to be a qualifying year you need to earn at least £6396 if you are an employee, or £6725 if you are self-employed, and have paid (or been credited with) National Insurance contributions based on these earnings. The amount of the basic State Pension received is calculated by multiplying the full rate by

5440-480: The life of the present holder and that in all cases the method of commutation ought to ensure a real and substantial saving to the nation (the existing rate, about 27 years purchase, being considered by the committee to be too high). These recommendations of the committee were adopted by the government and outstanding hereditary pensions were gradually commuted, the only ones left outstanding being those to Lord Rodney (£2,000) and to Lord Nelson (£5,000), both chargeable on

5525-480: The number of qualifying years and dividing by the number of years needed for the full rate. Men born before 6 April 1945 needed 44 qualifying years for a full basic State Pension, and women born before 6 April 1950 needed 39 years; to get any State Pension, an individual needed 25 per cent of the qualifying years required for a full pension. From 6 April 2010 until 5 April 2016, men born after 5 April 1945 and women born after 5 April 1950 needed 30 qualifying years for

5610-420: The palace of Holyrood House , received a perpetual pension of £45,105 and the descendants of the heritable usher of Scotland drew a salary of £242/10/-. The conclusions of the committee were that pensions allowances and payments should not in future be granted in perpetuity, on the ground that such grants should be limited to the persons actually rendering the service, and that such reward should be defrayed by

5695-481: The passage of the Old Age Pensions Act 1908 a pension of 5/- per week (£0.25, equivalent, using the Consumer Price Index , to £33 in present-day terms), or 7/6 per week (£0.38, equivalent to £49/week today) for a married couple, was payable to persons with an income below £21 per annum (equivalent to £2800 today), The qualifying age was 70, and the pensions were subject to a means test . The age of eligibility

5780-419: The period leading up to retirement or as an average of earnings over their career. The proportion would depend on the number of years of service with the employer. Post retirement increases are typically partly discretionary, however, must comply with statutory minimums. These schemes were common place in the second half of the 20th century (and are still used in the public sector), but declined significantly at

5865-400: The pots would be easier to keep track of, potentially generate higher growth, and not suffer from higher fees. Defined benefit schemes are pension schemes which provide a defined (i.e. guaranteed) level of benefit, such as "1/60 of your salary at retirement for each year of service". In such an arrangement, the employee was typically promised a pension of a fixed proportion of their salary in

5950-608: The proposal, they expressed concerns about the government's recent budget and its impact on confidence in the UK economy, which has struggled since the 2008 financial crisis. The Act amended the timetable for increasing the state pension age to 66. Under the Pensions Act 2007, the increase to 66 was due to take effect between 2024 and 2026. This Act brought forward the increase, so that state pension age for both men and women began rising from 65 in December 2018 and reached 66 in October 2020. As

6035-566: The purpose of pensions law. This was a consequence of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Houldsworth v Bridge Trustees and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions . The Act took powers to make transitional, consequential or supplementary provision as well and to make further amendments to the definition of "money purchase benefits". The Act introduced provisions into the current judicial pension schemes to allow contributions to be taken towards

6120-539: The recommendation of the First Lord of the Treasury . They were to be "granted to such persons only as have just claims on the royal beneficence or who by their personal services to the Crown, or by the performance of duties to the public, or by their useful discoveries in science and attainments in literature and the arts, have merited the gracious consideration of their sovereign and the gratitude of their country." As of 1911,

6205-421: The resignations. WASPI's online petition to Parliament received over 100,000 signatures resulting in a parliamentary debate on the issue of the changes to the state pension age. WASPI crowdfunded £100,000 to pay for legal action in order to challenge these changes. The money was used to take legal advice and on 8 March 2017, the group wrote to the Department for Work and Pensions threatening legal action if

6290-610: The right to contract out. Occupational pension schemes are arrangements established by employers to provide pension and related benefits for their employees. These are created under the Pension Schemes Act 1993 , the Pensions Act 1995 and the Pensions Act 2008 . The Pensions Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The principal change brought about by the Act is that all workers will have to opt out of an occupational pension plan of their employer, rather than opt in. This

6375-626: The schemes is driven largely by quantitative easing . By December 2019 the PPF estimated the total deficit of all pension funds in the U.K. to be £35.4 billion. Most schemes are also registered for tax purposes, which gives the scheme various tax advantages—assets grow free from income tax, capital gains tax and corporation tax, employees can normally make contributions out of their gross (untaxed) income, and employer contributions are generally tax deductible. Only funded schemes can be registered. Prior to April 2006 schemes were 'approved' by HMRC rather than registered. Approval placed certain limits on

6460-629: The sovereign and were held to be binding on the sovereign's successors. By the Taxation, etc. Act 1702 (I Anne c. 7) it was provided that no portion of the hereditary revenues could be charged with pensions beyond the life of the reigning sovereign. This act did not affect the hereditary revenues of Ireland and Scotland, and many persons were quartered, as they had been before the act, on the Irish and Scottish revenues who could not be provided for in England for example,

6545-498: The start of the 21st century in the private sector as the costs associated with these schemes increased substantially. These cost increases were driven by various factors, including an increase in life expectancy, the dot-com bubble bursting, a reduction in bond yields and increasing regulation. Over recent years, many employers have closed their defined benefit schemes to new members, and established defined contribution or money purchase arrangements instead. In this arrangement,

6630-407: The transition should only be phased in from 2010 to 2020. In 2006, a cross party Parliamentary report again recommended equalisation of ages on the basis of equal treatment of both sexes. It also recommended a rise in the state pension age for both men and women to 68 between 2024 and 2046. The rationale for the age rise was that people would be living longer in the future. This was put into effect by

6715-459: The year is disregarded. With fewer qualifying years smaller, pro-rata, pension is paid. People who were contracted-out paid lower NI contributions will receive a lower state pension. Before the National Insurance system changed in 1975, the contribution rules were somewhat different. To receive the benefit, a person needed to have a minimum of 3 qualifying years (156 weeks) of flat-rate contributions (2 years, prior to July 1948), and have maintained

6800-404: Was grossly unfair and potentially illegal. Furthermore, the WASPI campaign has been criticised by some commentators who point out that the change equalised pension ages and the claims of WASPI campaigners to the contrary is both sexist and unfounded. On 23 November 2019, Labour Party shadow chancellor John McDonnell pledged £58 billion to compensate all women born in the 1950s whose pension age

6885-691: Was increased by the Pensions Act 1995. In a report in March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said that the six woman affected by the change in pension age who brought test cases should receive between £1,000 and £2,950 compensation for maladministration as a result of the Department for Work and Pensions' failure to heed its own research showing that public campaigns were not reaching enough affected women, and found that individual letters should have been sent by it to affected women between 2007 and 2012. The Ombudsman noted that some women were aware of

6970-488: Was issued in April 2011, followed by a White Paper in January 2013. Rights already earned to a Second State Pension would not be lost. In the 2013 budget it was announced that introduction of the single tier pension would be brought forward by one year to 6 April 2016. The new "single-tier" State Pension would be worth £144 a week (in 2012-13 terms). Provided they have 35 qualifying years, individuals would actually receive £144

7055-521: Was moved to 65 for men and 60 for women, but, between April 2010 and November 2018, the age for women was raised to match that for men, and the retirement age for both men and women is increasing to 68, based on date of birth, and by no later than 2046. Until the 20th century, poverty was seen as a quasi-criminal state, and this was reflected in the Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 that imprisoned beggars. In Elizabethan times, English Poor Laws represented

7140-569: Was reduced by office fees and other deductions to £965, at which amount it stood until commuted in 1891 for £18,335. To the Duke of Richmond and his heirs was granted in 1676 a duty of one shilling per ton of all coals exported from the Tyne for consumption in England. This was redeemed in 1799 for an annuity of £19,000 (chargeable on the Consolidated Fund), which was afterwards redeemed for £633,333. The Duke of Hamilton , as hereditary keeper of

7225-503: Was the first step in the Liberal welfare reforms towards the completion of a system of social security, with unemployment and health insurance through the National Insurance Act 1911 . In the early 20th century, occupational (workplace) pension schemes started to become more common, with one driver being the Finance Act 1921 which provided tax-relief on pension scheme contributions. After

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