Government Views

Analysts have played down the impact of a new rise in inflation.Official government figures released yesterday showed that the Consumer Prices Index rose from 1.1 per cent in September to 1.5 per cent in October.This follows seven successive months of declining rates.However, the new figures might not presage a sustained ... read more

The standard of care for dementia patients in the UK has been attacked by an Alzheimer's Society report.According to the study, the quality of service offered to the group across the NHS varies widely.Four in five of the nurses questioned by the Alzheimer's Society said that they had not been ... read more

New ways of tackling dementia should be developed by the government, a representative of the Alzheimer's Research Trust said today (November 16th).Harriet Millward, deputy chief executive at the organisation, said that "new treatments" for the condition should be "urgently" developed.The comments come in the wake of the government's announcement of ... read more

Many elderly Britons have yet to make a will, Unbiased.co.uk has said. According to the financial website, 41 per cent of 50 to 59-year-olds and 26 per cent of 60 to 69-year-olds have yet to plan their estates in this way. This could potentially lead to big family feuds and ... read more

Older people are facing uncertainty over what age they will be able to retire and begin drawing a state pension.Proposals from both Labour and the Tories have suggested that the retirement age will be raised to 66 years old for both men and women.However, more radical plans contained in separate ... read more

Strong criticism of proposals to increase the UK's state pension age to 70 has been made by the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).Brendan Barber said today (October 20th) that the plans, put forward in a report released earlier this week by the Institute of Directors, would effectively ... read more

The UK state pension age should be raised due to rising longevity, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has said.According to the thinktank people should only be allowed to retire at 70 years old in future.The IoD added that this policy would help to reduce the costs of government pension provision.This ... read more

The upcoming auto-enrolment Personal Accounts programme could damage pensions in the UK, it has been suggested.A top pensions analyst at financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown said that the scheme could lead to employers cutting their pension contributions.This would in turn lead to workers retiring on smaller incomes than they might have ... read more

The NHS needs to invest more in support services targeted at carers, a campaigns group has said.A representative of Carers UK said that a lack of government money was a "real problem" for many families who are "struggling to cope".Data released by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads ... read more

An influential industry group has called on the government to change the legal regime for pensions. The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has released new research, showing that 98 per cent of employers believe that reforms to rules would improve communications with workers. Almost seven in ten poll respondents ... read more