State Pensions Measures
Up-rating of basic state pension and other benefits
Current position
41.Currently, the basic state pension is required to be uprated annually in line with prices. The Secretary of State is required to consider how this movement should be measured. For contributory benefits, including the basic state pension, up-rating has, in practice, taken place according to the Retail Prices Index. However, in recent years, the Government has given a commitment to uprate by the greater of 2.5 per cent or the Retail Prices Index. Since giving this commitment the Retail Prices Index has always been higher.
42.From the time state pension credit was introduced in October 2003, the Secretary of State has uprated the standard minimum guarantee annually in line with earnings, in reliance on a discretionary power in the existing legislation. There is currently no mandatory requirement to uprate the standard minimum guarantee in state pension credit.
43.The lower earnings limit, currently £87 per week (equating to an annual qualifying earnings factor of £4,524), is the earnings point at which employees start to build up entitlement to contributory working age and pension benefits, by treating an individual as if they have paid National Insurance contributions. National Insurance contributions do not actually become payable until an individual has earnings at or above the primary threshold, currently £100 a week, (£5,200 per annum). At present, the amount of the lower earnings limit increases in line with prices, because it is linked to the weekly rate of Category A basic state pension.
44.Similarly, the rate of the basic allowance in widowed mother’s allowance, widow’s pension, widowed parent’s allowance and bereavement allowance also increases in line with prices because they are linked to the rate of Category A basic state pension. The higher permanent rate of the widow’s pension and widower’s pension in Industrial Death Benefit has also historically been the same as the rate of Category A basic state pension.
Changes
45.The changes will require the basic state pension to be uprated annually in line with earnings rather than prices, and will cover the up-rating of Category A, Category B, Category C and Category D pensions.
46.The Government stated in the White Paper:
““our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012 but in any event at the latest by the end of the next Parliament. We will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament”.”
47.The changes will also require the standard minimum guarantee in state pension credit to be uprated annually in line with earnings.
48.In addition, the link between the amount of the lower earnings limit and the weekly rate of the basic state pension in a Category A pension will be broken. This will mean that the amount of the lower earnings limit will not automatically increase in line with earnings in the future. Instead, any future increase in the lower earnings limit will be at the discretion of the Treasury.
49.The provisions of the Act will ensure that the rate of the basic allowance in widowed mother’s allowance, widow’s pension, widowed parent’s allowance and bereavement allowance will continue to be uprated in line with prices, like other pre-retirement benefits. However, the proposals will ensure that the rate of widow’s pension and widower’s pension in industrial death benefit will be uprated in line with earnings in order to maintain the link with the rate of Category A pensions.
