DWP urged to give early State Pension access to people with a terminal illness
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Jim Shannon has urged the UK Government to consider the 'potential merits of allowing early State Pension access for people with a terminal illness'. However, Pensions Minister Torsten Bell explained that the State Pension can only be accessed when someone reaches the official age of retirement, which is currently 66.
In a written response to the Strangford MP, Mr Bell highlighted that people nearing the end of their life can gain faster access to financial support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) through the 'Special Rules for End of Life'. You can find out more about this on GOV.UK here.
He explained: 'This enables people nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.'
In the written response earlier this week, the Pensions Minister said: 'There has been no recent assessment. The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody has the merit of simplicity and clarity through providing an important trigger moment for planning purposes. It has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension before they reach their State Pension age.
'For those nearing the end of their life, the Government's priority is to provide people with financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way the Department does this is through the Special Rules for End of Life.
'These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.'
These rules apply to five benefits that support people with health conditions or disabilities:
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Attendance Allowance
Universal Credit
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Online petition calling for early access to State Pension
A new online petition is urging the UK Government to give older people on disability benefits early access to their State Pension. The State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women, but is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
Petition creator George Bolgar has put forward a proposal that every person over 60 with a disability 'who has been unemployed for at least five years should be given the choice to retire and claim the State Pension immediately'.
The 'allow elderly disabled people to claim the State Pension early' petition has been posted on the Petitions Parliament website.
At 10,000 signatures of support it would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government, at 100,000, it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament.
The petition states: 'We think that any disabled person aged 60 who has been unemployed for at least five years should be given the choice to retire and claim the State Pension immediately.
'We think that keeping people on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) unemployment list when there is no chance of them ever becoming employed again is extra work for the DWP and extra stress for the disabled person.
'We think that once someone is above 60 years old and unemployed their likelihood of being employable is extremely reduced.'
State Pension age rise
The State Pension age is set to start rising from 66 to 67 next year, with the increase due to be completed for all men and women across the UK by 2028.
The planned change to the official age of retirement has been in legislation since 2014 with a further rise from 67 to 68 set to be implemented between 2044 and 2046.
The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The UK Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between March 6, 1961 and April 5, 1977 will be able to claim the State Pension once they reach 67.
It's important to be aware of these upcoming changes now, especially if you have a retirement plan in place. Everyone affected by changes to their State Pension age will receive a letter from the DWP well in advance.
Under the Pensions Act 2007 the State Pension age for men and women will increase from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
The Pensions Act 2014 provides for a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years. The review will be based around the idea people should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life drawing a State Pension.
A review of the planned rise to 68 is due before the end of this decade and had originally been scheduled by the then Conservative government to take place two years after the general election - which would have been 2026.
Any review of the State Pension age will take into account life expectancy along with a range of other factors relevant to setting the State Pension age.
After the review has reported, the UK Government may then choose to bring forward changes to the State Pension age. However, any proposals would have to go through Parliament before becoming law.
Check your State Pension age online
Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.
Anyone of any age can use the online tool at GOV.UK to check their State Pension age, which can be an essential part of planning your retirement.
You can use the State Pension age tool to check:
When you will reach State Pension age
Your Pension Credit qualifying age
When you will be eligible for free bus travel - this is at age 60 in Scotland
Check your State Pension age online here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
4 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
MP likens Government to flat-earthers over refusal to compensate Waspi women
Labour's Rebecca Long Bailey said the arguments against compensation for the 1950s-born women are 'bizarre' and akin to those made by people who believe the Earth is flat. The Government last December ruled out a compensation package for women born in the 1950s, whose state pension age was raised so it would be equal with men. This is despite Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves being among the senior ministers to support the Waspi campaign when Labour was in opposition. A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) had recommended the UK Government pay compensation to women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised so it would be equal with men. The watchdog also said the women should be paid up to £2,950 each, a package with a potential total cost of £10.5 billion to the public purse, as poor communication meant they had lost out on the chance to plan their retirement finances. The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group is currently seeking a judicial review to force the Government to reconsider its decision to rule out a compensation package. Work and pensions minister Torsten Bell, who is also a Treasury minister, said the Government does not agree with the Ombudsman's approach 'to injustice or to remedy'. Speaking in the Commons, Ms Long Bailey argued that 'cost does not need to be and should not be a barrier to justice', as she urged the Government to introduce a wealth tax to fund a compensation scheme. The MP for Salford said: 'I don't want (Mr Bell) to go down in history as the man who denied justice for the 1950s women, I honestly don't. I want to see action on this, and I want him to go down as the person who finally, finally managed to award them justice. 'But at the moment, he's got to understand that the arguments being put forward by the Government are absurd, to say the least. In fact, they're akin to somebody arguing that the world is flat, in denying the Ombudsman's report.' Waspi campaigners outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London (Haixin Tan/PA) Earlier in her contribution, the former Labour leadership candidate, who had called the debate, disputed the Government's assertion that the women knew the change was coming. She said: 'Whilst the Government agreed with the finding of maladministration and apologised, no redress would be forthcoming. 'And contrary to the Ombudsman, they actually felt that the majority of women did know about changes to their pension age, based on Department for Work and Pensions research, and that sending the women letters would not have been effective, which I'm sure most people would agree is bizarre. 'It's pretty effective when a bill addressed to you coming through your door comes through, it's pretty effective when it's a hospital appointment, it's pretty effective on the very rare but joyous occasion that HMRC gives you a tax rebate cheque. 'So, I ask, honestly, would 1950s-born women have actively refused to open letters with their name on from the DWP? It makes no sense.' Ms Long Bailey went on to say: 'In terms of options to make sure that schemes could be financially sustainable, Waspi have calculated that HM Treasury have saved a whopping £181 billion alone by increasing the state pension age. 'Well, there's other options, there's the option of applying a 1% to 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, raising up to £22 billion a year. Equalise capital gains tax with income tax rates, raising £15.2 billion a year. Apply national insurance to investment income, raising £8.6 billion a year. 'End stealth subsidies on banks, and you get up to £55 billion over the next five years, and even Gordon Brown has advocated for this. So cost does not need to be, and should not be, a barrier to justice.' During the debate, Independent MP for Hayes and Harlington, John McDonnell joked that the Government would soon be proscribing the Waspi group. On Wednesday, MPs supported legislation to proscribe the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organisation. Mr McDonnell said: 'I pay tribute to the campaign. A lot of those ladies have been patronised over the years, it was a terrific campaign. In fact, it was so terrific under this Government at the moment, they would probably be proscribed.' Responding to the debate, Mr Bell said: 'We agree that letters should have been sent sooner. We have apologised, and we will learn the lessons from that. 'However, as honourable members and campaigners on this issue are well aware, we do not agree with the Ombudsman's approach to injustice or to remedy.' He added: 'An important consideration when making this decision was that evidence showed that sending people unsolicited letters is unlikely (to) affect what they knew, which is why letters are sent, but they are sent as part of wider communication campaigns. 'This evidence was not properly considered by the Ombudsman. 'Another consideration was that the great majority of 1950s-born women were aware that the state pension age was changing, if not their specific state pension age.'
The National
15 minutes ago
- The National
Peers back call to ban Palestine Action under terror laws
Green peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb led arguments against proscribing Palestine Action, after MPs voted the previous day to ban the group. She accused the UK Government of being a 'little bit sneaky' by grouping the organisation in with Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement, which were banned under the same order. Baroness Jones said Palestine Action's actions were not of the 'same calibre of evil' as the two other groups, noting that the group's blockades on buildings and raids did not represent a 'pattern of serious violence'. Her motion of "regret", which criticised the inclusion of Palestine Action in the motion, was voted down and the original motion approving the Government's proscription order was passed on the nod. Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint set out the UK Government's reasons for the proscription order to the upper house, outlining the group's history of causing property damage and accused members of committing violent crimes. Also speaking against the Government motion was Lord Hain, former Northern Ireland secretary, who compared Palestine Action with the suffragettes and Nelson Mandela (below), contrasting their actions with those of 'real terrorists' like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. A number of other peers, including from the Labour benches, raised concerns about the impact of freedom of speech, because expressing support for the group or wearing clothes with the group's branding can result in a prison sentence. A person found to be a member of the group or a person who expresses support for it faces a 14-year jail sentence. Someone wearing Palestine Action-branded clothing could face a six-month sentence or a £5000 fine. Baroness Jones said: "There's a long and noble tradition of the use of direct action by protest movements, that includes the suffragettes. READ MORE: Former government lawyer to defy Palestine Action ban in Parliament Square protest
The National
26 minutes ago
- The National
UK Government 'must take Scottish approach to disability payments'
Welcome to this week's Branch Office Updates! Subscribe (for free) by clicking on the linked banner above. A PROMINENT disability campaigner has called for the UK Labour Government to take the 'more humane' approach Scotland is taking with disability payments. It comes after the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill passed its first hurdle on Tuesday. When the legislation was first announced, it included measures to limit eligibility for Pip, the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and freeze the health-related element of universal credit. But a huge backbench rebellion saw the changes to Pip stripped from the legislation with a review commissioned. The so-called Timms review is expected to report next autumn after consulting with the disabled community and stakeholders. READ MORE: Faslane nuclear base radioactive secrets to be released after FoI battle That same day, Marylynne Hunter – an ex-Labour member and activist who resigned in March – told The National that she received a call from Social Security Scotland, who administers the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP) and Child Disability Payment. Her daughter Freya has severe complex health problems and disabilities, is non-verbal and blind and requires full-time oxygen and at-home nursing care. 'The guy from Social Security Scotland was amazing. They actually spoke to me with dignity and respect,' she said. 'And I was part of those consultations way back with (former minister for equalities) Jeane Freeman in the Scottish Parliament talking about the way in which you're spoken to by people down in Westminster sometimes before it was devolved and it could be quite distressing.' Hunter added: 'But this guy was brilliant. The dignity and respect part is there, you know, it's completely there. It was actually a really nice meeting, and he met Freya online and everything and he was lovely.' (Image: Marylynne Hunter) She also said that with the Scotland's Child Disability Payment, with someone with Freya's condition, they won't have to reapply for the Adult Disability Payment – an aspect which would have been the case if she was applying for PiP. 'She'll just naturally go to the next stage of Adult Disability Payment without any big forms or anything,' Hunter said. 'It's just a wee form that you have to fill in because she's not going to get better. So, that's the Scottish way of doing it. But if it had been the English way of doing it, I would have had to have reapplied. I would have had to have applied for Pip for Freya. And it would have been horrific.' She added: 'It's that whole thing about having to do that big massive form again and talk about what she can't do. I'd rather talk about what she can do, because that's distressing when I have to talk about what Freya needs in terms of her medical care. It's horrific. I don't want to be reminded of that because it's really difficult for me to deal with.' 'The Scottish Government do it in a really good way where they take all the information from the GP and consultants and they don't put you through that torture.' Hunter went on: 'You know what, that's the power of consultation with people who are on the ground with lived experience. The Scottish Government did that, they've consulted with people who are actually accessing these benefits. 'They've done it right.'
