Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support women and men who want to remain in employment after reaching state pension age.
Justin Tomlinson
This Government believes that there are huge benefits to working longer including keeping active, boosting financial prospects and a better quality of life.
The Government has taken several steps to support people who want to remain in employment after State Pension age. In the last Parliament, this included:
- Removing the Default Retirement age, enabling older people to remain in employment and retire when the time is right for them.
- Extending the right to request flexible working, enabling all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service to agree a working pattern which suits them and their employer.
- Maintaining the exemption from paying National Insurance contributions to those over State Pension age, unless they are self-employed and are paying Class 4 contributions.
- Appointing a Business Champion for Older Workers, who produced a report and worked with employers to explore the benefits of fuller working lives.
In this Parliament, we are working in partnership with employers to improve the retention, retraining and recruitment of people aged 50 and over, by:
- Publishing a new, Employer-led National Strategy setting out our vision for older workers, later this year.
- Reviewing the availability of Advanced Learner Loans and the Higher Education student support package, which contribute to the costs of study for all ages, including those beyond the State Pension age.
- Minister for Pensions attended meetings and events with businesses to promote the Fuller Working Lives agenda and encourage employers to overcome age discrimination.
