Pension reform
Published on 08 March 2011 11:00 AM
Responding to a statement today from the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith that the UK Government will "fundamentally simplify" the pension system, Age Cymru's Director of Influencing and Programme Development, Victoria Lloyd says:
"Sweeping simplification of the state pension system is needed so that everyone can expect a decent, flat-rate pension, set at a level high enough to help most people avoid poverty without recourse to means-tested benefits.
"Means-testing is failing older people, with an estimated 1.6 million pensioners not claiming the benefits to which they are entitled and so living in needless poverty.
"Meanwhile, with such a complex system, people in work are totally confused and often worry that saving will not be worth their while. By developing a system that lays out clearly what people can expect, the UK Government will reduce fear for those approaching retirement."