Stephanie Dearden
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Tooting
Tel: 020-7771-2551 or 07985649807
Letters to the Editor
Wednesday, 30th November 2005
Turner Launches Pension Reforms Debate
The report from the Pensions Commission today announced proposals to raise the
state pension age to 68 and to establish a National Pension Savings Scheme,
which workers would be automatically enrolled into. The commission's head Lord
Turner said the UK's pension system currently faced "significant problems" and
that state pensions should rise in line with earnings, not prices. The new
national savings scheme will encourage all people to save for a pension at low
cost.
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Tooting,
Stephanie Dearden said:-We agree with Lord
Turner that the problems in our pension system will grow increasingly worse
unless a new pension’s settlement for the 21st century is now debated, agreed,
and put in place. The choice now is between an affordable but unsustainable
means tested system favoured by Gordon Brown, and an affordable and sustainable
system as proposed by Lord Turner. We must now have an assurance that the
chancellor will not be allowed to single-handedly veto the emerging consensus
for reform.
ENDS
Stephanie Dearden
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Tooting
Notes to editors