To Rt., Honourable David Gauke MP 31/10/2017
Minister of Work & Pensions
Dear Sir, I would like to request that the Government look at the discriminatory way some pensioners are treated when wishing to retire to some countries, with regard to the state pension annual increase. I have studied the Government position with regard to this and find it incomprehensible that some pensioners wishing to retire in their twilight years to countries where they may have family, to be penalised because of where they wish to retire too. Government legislation states that if you live in a country which has a social security agreement with the UK., you get the annual state pension increase, but if you don’t live in one of these countries you do not get the annual increase. If a pensioner has paid into the NI., contributions all his/her working life, then you should either be given the annual increase if you move abroad, or you should not be given it regardless of where you choose to live. I have read a Briefing Paper Number CBP-01457, 13 April 2017., which states that the UK., will pay the annual increase to retirees that live in any country that has legislation requiring the UK., Government to increase pensions annually. I find it distasteful that the UK., Government it seems will not give the annual increase to pensioners, unless forced to by a foreign Governments requirements. The Philippines is a signatory to this social security agreement with the UK., I have read. I’d like to know how many Philippino retirees are resident in the UK., for the UK., Government to have a reciprical agreement with the Philippines Government. I suspect none, unless they are very wealthy, in which case, unlike most British retirees an annual increase would be of no benefit to any Philippino retirees. I’d also like to ask why if your in receipt of housing benefit, council tax benefit and in receipt of a means tested pension top up, which I am, the time you are allowed outside of the UK., without losing any of these benefits, has been reduced from thirteen weeks to four weeks. In my case I have extended family in Asia and because I cannot go to live with them because of the discrimination to pensioners like myself, with regard to the annual pension increase and the low state pension I receive, I only get the chance to visit them every few years, which is the time it takes me to save enough to make the trip. I’d also like to make the point that the amount of benefits outside of my basic state pension is altogether over 8,000 GBP annually, not including my bus pass and the use of the NHS. Taken that the annual pension increase is approximately, 200 GBP., I would of thought that in many pensioners cases that are the same as mine, it would be grossly more in the Governments favour to allow the annual pension increase regardless of which country you wish to retire too. I cannot see any justification in this descrimination toward pensioners, who as in my case have been low earners in their working lives and do not have access to private pension funds.
John Jowett (Umston Manchester)