Better state pension for women
Women who miss out on work to become mothers or carers are soon expected to get a fairer state pension deal, according to reports.
Work and pensions secretary John Hutton is expected to announce plans for women and other carers to be given enhanced national insurance credits, in an effort to help boost their pensions.
To do this, the government is thought to be considering enlarging the current system of Home Responsibility Protection.
Under the scheme women can build up national insurance contributions (and so their future state pension) while looking after children or elderly relatives and not working.
A suggestion by the Pension Commission was that the new state pension entitlement should be based on residency but Mr Hutton argued that would be too slow and not help to improve the position of women currently in their 50s.
The government is due to release a White Paper later this month detailing its response to the findings of the pension commission report published late last year.
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