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Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system: summary of responses to the consultation
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publisher:
- Stationery Office
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 99p.
- Place of publication:
- London
... the required number of years of National Insurance contributions to qualify for a basic State pension to 30; to gradually raise the State pension age in line with gains in average life expectancy and to establish measures to support extended working lives; and to streamline the regulatory environment in order to reduce administrative burdens on employers who provide good occupational pensions.
Progress in tackling pensioner poverty: encouraging the take-up of entitlements: report by the Comptroller and Auditor General
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. National Audit Office
- Publisher:
- Stationery Office
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 38p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Pension Service has made real and substantial progress since 2002 in helping pensioners to secure their entitlements using new and well thought through approaches, but will need to build on this work to improve take-up still further. The report highlights the need to develop local work to reach those who are not claiming benefits to which they are entitled, and proposes the creation of a wider target to tackle pensioner poverty. In 2004-05, £6 billion was paid out in Pension Credit to 2.7 million pensioner households across England, Scotland and Wales. This represents between 61 per cent to 69 per cent of the eligible population, and is 1 million more households than received its predecessor benefit, the Minimum Income Guarantee. The £20 million spent in the first two years advertising the new benefit was almost twice as cost-effective as advertising for the Minimum Income Guarantee: for every £1 spent on advertising Pension Credit, £55 was paid out in additional benefits. Between 1994-95 and 2004-05 the proportion of pensioners living in relative poverty fell from 27 per cent to 17 per cent, which was an estimated 1.8 million pensioners in 2004-05.
Making a difference: tackling poverty: a progress report
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 36p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Government set a target in 1999 of eradicating child poverty by 2020. They also pledged to tackle the problem of one in four pensioners living below the breadline. This report sets out the Government's progress so far, but admits there is much more to do.
Waiting for Gordon
- Author:
- IVORY Mark
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 12.01.06, 2006, pp.30-31.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The Turner Commission's proposals on the future of UK pensions have reignited the debate about how best to tackle pensioner poverty, the means test and the impact of inequality. The proposals went against an expansion of pension credit means test in favour of state pension increases linked to earnings. The article discusses some of the issues.
Poverty in later life
- Author:
- AGE UK
- Publisher:
- Age UK
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 11
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing looks at levels of pensioner poverty in the UK, changes over time, groups at greatest risk and considers what life is like for older people living on a low income. Key points include: although poverty levels are lower than they were 20 years ago, the latest figures show 2.1 million (18 per cent) of pensioners in the UK live in poverty; rates have risen since 2013-14 when 1.6 million (14 per cent) lived in poverty; some groups are at particular risk – 38 per cent of private tenants and 36 per cent of social rented sector tenants, live in poverty compared to 14 per cent of older people who own their home outright and 33 per cent of Asian or Asian British pensioners and 30 per cent of Black or Black British pensioners, are in poverty compared to 16 per cent of White pensioners; financial disadvantage is not just about income coming in – it is harder to manage on a modest income when people have extra costs, for example due to disability or care needs or if heating bills are high because they live in a cold, poorly insulated home; the Government should set out a clear reform programme, in partnership with third sector organisations and others, to abolish poverty in later life; in an ideal world, the State Pension system should provide an income sufficient to cover basic needs, and everyone would have opportunities to build up additional private incomes which would allow a comfortable retirement; however, there is a long way to go to achieve this aim and, in the meantime, far more needs to be done to increase the take-up of benefit entitlements. (Edited publisher abstract)
A rewarding retirement: notes from an assembly of older BME people
- Author:
- MAWHINNEY Phil
- Journal article citation:
- Runnymede Bulletin, 368, Winter 2011, pp.9-10.
- Publisher:
- Runnymede Trust
As part of a 3-year programme of research into financial inclusion and older BME people, Runnymede brought together 50 older people from a range of ethnic backgrounds to share their knowledge and concerns on retirement. This article provides an overview of some of the issues, which include: poverty; the issue of not being eligible for a full state pension when returning to their country of birth on retirement; and the concern felt for younger generations facing high rates of unemployment.
Social security for China’s rural aged: a proposal based on a universal non-contributory pension
- Authors:
- YANG Yinan, WILLIAMSON John B., SHEN Ce
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 19(2), April 2010, pp.236-245.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
China’s old-age social security system has long been largely restricted to urban areas. This exacerbates the already severe rural–urban economic disparity, slows the rate of rural poverty reduction, poses a threat to social stability, and raises social justice concerns. This analysis draws on evidence from a number of sources including interviews with experts on China, Chinese government documents, Chinese newspaper accounts, and other sources from other countries. Based on the analysis of what has been tried in other countries and the current situation in rural China, this paper offers some suggestions for Chinese policy makers. It suggests that, for rural China, a universal non-contributory old-age pension deserves serious consideration, and refers to a proposed model as a Rural Old-Age Social Pension. It proposes an annual benefit level for each pensioner set at 4% of China’s GDP per capita, but suggests that it could first be introduced at a lower level and at a relatively high age of eligibility. The proposed model will reduce the level of poverty in rural areas and the degree of income inequality between rural and urban areas while simultaneously promoting social and political stability.
Pension trends: chapter 13: inequalities and poverty in retirement
- Author:
- OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS
- Publisher:
- Office for National Statistics
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 12p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The analysis presented in this paper compares average incomes and income inequalities of retired and non-retired households, looking at the effect that different sources of income and other characteristics such as type of household, age, ethnicity, employment status and housing tenure have on a pensioner household's position. It then looks at pensioner poverty, including the official measure of poverty, which is based on a proportion of contemporary median income, and alternative measures including attempts to establish minimum income standards, measures of material deprivation and measures based on expenditure.
Real change, not short change: time to deliver for carers
- Author:
- CARERS UK
- Publisher:
- Carers UK
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 43p.
- Place of publication:
- London
... their jobs, and sacrifice their pensions - leaving many deeply anxious about their financial future. It reveals very clearly that the current benefits system does not allow carers an acceptable standard of living and neither recognises nor values them for the contribution they make to the national economy.
Pension policy in EU25 and its possible impact on elderly poverty: second report
- Authors:
- ZAIDI Ashgar, MARIN Bernd, FUCHS Michael
- Publisher:
- European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 56p.
- Place of publication:
- Vienna
This report reviews the most relevant recent changes in the pensions policy in EU25 and provides a description of how they might affect the risk of poverty for the elderly populations. These analyses shed light on what is the likely outlook on the expected evolution of poverty among the elderly for coming decades. These insights will be useful to identify any policy responses that might be necessary (and feasible) in order to meet the objective of not only sustainability but also adequacy of pensions by the member countries.