An online petition calling for a minimum weekly state pension of £380 for all men and women over the age of 60 is to be debated by Parliament next month. The petition, created by Michael Thompson, has received more than 107,980 signatures of support across the UK and will be debated by MPs on Monday December 12.
The petition also calls on the government to lower the state pension age from 66 to 60. The Daily Record reports that the petition says current payments are “far too low” and suggests that increasing the basic Sstate pension weekly rate from £141.85 to £380 - equivalent to £19,760 per year - to everyone aged 60 or over, “should lift thousands out of poverty” while giving older people “more spending power and help grow the economy”.
The proposals in the petition were rejected in September by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Its response came after the petition passed the 10,000 signature threshold which triggers an official response from the government. Similarly, once a petition passes the 100,000 signature threshold it is considered for debate in Parliament.
The ‘Increase state pensions to £380 a week, and lower retirement age to 60’ states: “The British state pension is far too low. We want the government to increase the basic state pension to £19,760 a year (£380 a week), and extend this to anyone aged 60 or over. This should lift thousands out of poverty, and give our elderly folk more spending power and help grow the economy.
“The government should restore the state pension age back to 60 for men and women, because, people should not have to wait until their mid to late 60s to claim the state pension, as many people have worked from a young age, and their health deteriorates long before they are able to claim the state pension.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt recently announced in the Autumn Statement that the triple lock rule would be honoured for 2023/24. That means the state pension, means-tested and disability benefits delivered by DWP will increase by 10.1% from next April.
Marsha De Cordova MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, has been asked to open the debate in Parliament. The Labour MP for Battersea, says the committee would like to hear people's views on this issue. Views can be shared with Ms De Cordova by completing a short survey. A summary of responses will be published on the committee's website and may be shared with MPs and quoted during the debate.
The survey will close on Tuesday December 6 at noon, while the online petition closes on December 20.
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