Government Views

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

Government money intended to increase support for the nation's carers could be better optimised, new research shows. According to The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Care, 80 per cent of government money intended for carers is not being received. Instead, many of the Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are ... read more

Pensioners could be turning to equity release to supplement their incomes, after missing pension contributions in their working lives.The government-backed Pensions Advisory Service believes that many employees, particularly women, are missing out due to the fact that they work part-time, the BBC reported.According to current pension rules, everyone who earns ... read more

People employed in the Civil Service will not longer be expected to step down when they turn 65 as new legislation is due to come into effect next year.The government has announced that it intends to remove the upper limit on the working age in the Civil Service by April ... read more

A consultation on the auto-enrolment reforms in the pensions sector has been launched by the government. Employers will now get the opportunity to voice their opinions on the second batch of regulations. Angela Eagle, minister of pensions and the ageing society, said that the new reforms will "ensure ... read more