An online petition calling for a minimum weekly State Pension payment of £380 for all men and women over the age of 60 is set to be debated in Parliament next month. The petition, created by Michael Thompson, has received more than 107,980 signatures of support from people across the UK and will now be debated by MPs on Monday December 12, 2022.
The petition is also calling on the UK Government to lower the State Pension age from 66 to 60. It argues that current payments are “far too low” but suggests that by increasing the Basic State Pension weekly rate from £141.85 to £380 - equivalent to £19,760 per year - to everyone aged 60 or over, this “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), who said that the UK Government “has no plans to increase State Pension to £380 per week or reduce State Pension age to 60”.
The response came after the petition passed the 10,000 signature threshold which triggers an official response from the UK Government - read the full response here.
Similarly, once a petition passes the 100,000 signature threshold it is considered for debate in Parliament.
An update on the petitions-parliament website states: “Parliament will debate this petition on 12 December 2022. You'll be able to watch it online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.”
What does the petition say?
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 60's 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.”
State Pension payment rates 2023/24
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt recently announced in the Autumn Statement that the State Pension Triple Lock rule will be honoured in 2023/24.
This means that State Pension, means-tested and disability benefits delivered by DWP will increase by 10.1% (based on the September Consumer Price Index inflation figure) from April 10, 2023.
Full New State Pension
You are eligible for the New State Pension if you are:
- a man born on or after April 6, 1951
- a woman born on or after April 6, 1953
New State Pension payment rates 2023/24
- Weekly rate: £203.85, an increase of £18.70 from £185.15
- Four-weekly rate: £815.40, an increase of £74.80 from £740.60
Basic State Pension (Category A or B)
You are eligible for the Basic State Pension if you are:
- a man born before April 6, 1951
- a woman born before April 6, 1953
Basic State Pension payment rates
- Weekly rate: £156.20, an increase of £14.35 from £141.85
- Four-weekly rate: £624.80, an increase of £57.40 from £567.40
Share your view on increasing State Pension to £380 and lowering retirement age to 60
The MPs on the Petitions Committee have scheduled a debate on this petition and are keen to hear what people think of the proposals.
Marsha De Cordova MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, has been asked to open the debate in Parliament.
The Labour MP for Battersea, would like to hear your views on this issue, including how well you feel the current State Pension meets pensioners' needs and what you think about the State Pension age.
You can share your views with Ms De Cordova by completing a short survey here.
The survey is completely anonymous and 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, 2022 at noon.
What are petition debates?
Petition debates are ‘general’ debates which allow MPs from all parties to discuss the important issues raised by one or more petitions, and put their concerns to UK Government Ministers.
Petition debates don’t end with a vote to implement the request of a petition - this means that MPs will not vote on changing the State Pension at the end of the debate.
How to watch the debate
The debate will be held on Monday December 12 at 4.30pm. You can watch it on the UK Parliament YouTube channel here.
The online petition closes on December 20, 2022 and can be viewed online here.
To keep up to date with the latest State Pension news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
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