Commons to debate frozen pensions on 20 April 2017

April 3, 2017 Frozen Pensions 4 Comments

Following a successful bid by the APPG on Frozen British Pensions to the Backbench Business Committee, there will now be a debate on frozen pensions, in the House of Commons, on 20 April 2017.

MPs will have up to 3 hrs to debate a motion calling for the Uprating Regulations which freeze pensions to be withdrawn.

STATE PENSIONS PAYABLE TO RECIPIENTS OUTSIDE OF THE UK

That this House notes the detrimental effect that the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2017 will have on the lives of many expatriate UK citizens living overseas with frozen pensions; and insists that the Government take the necessary steps to withdraw those Regulations.

APPG Chairman, Sir Roger Gale MP, and Vice Chair, Ian Blackford MP, made their bid for parliamentary time on 28 March. Their application was supported by MPs of every party, including: Sir Roger Gale MP (Con), Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Con) Christopher Chope MP (Con), Gerald Howarth MP (Con), Kate Hoey MP (Lab), Roger Godsiff MP (Lab), Dennis Skinner MP (Lab), Ian Blackford MPĀ  (SNP), Mairi Black MP (SNP), Neil Gray MP (SNP), Brendan O’Hara MP (SNP), Greg Mulholland MP (LD), John Pugh MP (LD), Sammy Wilson MP (DUP), Jeffrey Donaldson MP (DUP), Liz Saville Roberts MP (PC), Jonathan Edwards MP (PC), Mark Durkan MP (SDLP), Caroline Lucas MP (Green).

The debate will be the first parliamentary occasion the new Minister for Pensions, Richard Harrington, has needed to publicly engage with the issue of frozen pensions.

As a Backbench Business debate, even if the Commons votes in favour of the motion, the result will not be binding on the government, but the APPG hope that it will increase pressure on DWP to take calls for reform seriously. All the opposition parties and a significant number of Conservative backbenchers are expected to speak favour reform. It will be the first opportunity for the Labour front bench advocate change, reflecting the new position encouraged by Jeremy Corbyn.

Jeremy Corbyn is also understood to have written to the government to request a formal vote on the Social Security Benefit Up-rating Regulations 2017. If granted, this would be an opportunity for parliament to end frozen pensions. Often votes on delegated legislation occur without a debate, so the backbench debate on 20 April is also important in this context.

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Comments

  1. John West
    April 5, 2017 - 5:59 am

    In a nutshell I am a frozen pensioner in Thailand and quite simply we need votes in Parliament to over turn this frankly barbaric and totally discriminatory policy of the Frozen Pensioner.
    I have been ever so active and written and emailed all MP’s and in most cases get the standard party reply we sympathize with you and support you.
    It is votes we need and surely even a layperson would understand this, but those who could do forget about us or just do not care.
    it will be interesting how many actually show up and if it was a debate for Foreign Aid or bailing out another Country, the House would be full. Thanks for your help, but VOTES

  2. David Nash
    April 15, 2017 - 7:41 pm

    I am a frozen pensioner living in Peru. I left the UK in 1977 and through an indirect way flew our flag in Iran, Nigeria and Peru through the medium of teaching local students in those mentioned countries.
    I always paid my NI contributions which increased every years.
    Now I have retired (in 2005) my pension has been frozen in spite of paying those increased contributions. With local inflation, the Brexit decrease in the pound and the frozen pension I am drifting into gentile poverty.

  3. James Tilley
    April 17, 2017 - 1:55 pm

    The often repeated claim that the Government cannot afford to pay the GBPs600 million fails to consider what it would cost National Insurance contributors to contribute by way of an increase in NICs to fund this minuscule GBPs600million and get the cost into perspective. Simple math show that with 31+ million employed in the UK presumably all making NICs, and increase of just 0.7% of the NIC charge would provide the GBPs600M. moreover, the average cost per contributor would be about 40 pence/week; or to put it more clearly about the cost of one cigarette per week which would hardly impact on one’s pay packet.
    Further the cost to the government would be nil except some egg on their faces for sticking too an aspiration/ election Manifesto of not to increase NICs’. Also this resolution would benefit the government and economy as more BAME migrants will probably emigrate back to their original homeland, thus saving the UK economy more than GBPs1500/emigrant/year. And there will most likely be a beneficial impact on the nation’s net migration statistics.

  4. Richard Sawyer
    April 18, 2017 - 2:39 pm

    The PM has called a General Election. Presumably this means that this debate will die on the Order Paper.
    After all these years of lobbying, it is a cruel blow. Now we will have to start over with a new Government.
    I am relatively recently retired in Canada, so my pension is not too bad, however my Mother has been retired for 30 years and gets a pittance.

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