Most women 'do not get full state pension'
Most women are not accruing a full basic state pension through National Insurance (NI) contributions and the pension system should be changed to alter this, it has been claimed.
The government's Pension Reforms Factsheet notes that only 30 per cent of women attain full basic pension payment in their own right.
Proposals in the factsheet include the number of years of NI payments for a full pension being reduced to 30 years, down from 44 for men and 39 for women, alongside changes to the system to make attaining entitlement easier for parents and carers.
Earlier legislation introduced Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) and the State Second Pension, addressing the needs of some carers, but pensions minister James Purnell expressed concern that these changes did not do enough.
"For those aged over 45 the problem is particularly acute," he said.
"Many have not ? benefited fully from HRP and have significantly poorer contribution records than men of the same age, even though they have made valuable contributions to society," he added.
HRP was made available to registered foster carers in April 2003.
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