People living abroad will no longer be entitled to a British state pension based solely on their spouse's work history, under government plans.
Pensions Minister Steve Webb said some of those claiming a married person's allowance had never been to the UK.
Some 220,000 overseas residents receive this payment at a cost of £410m a year.
The measure will be part of an overhaul of the state pension, to be included in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday. Existing pensioners will be unaffected.
via www.bbc.co.uk
Comments
2 responses to “Overseas UK pensions ‘blocked for spouses’”
YOU FELL FOR IT!!
You don’t think Webb’s main target was the overseas spouse do you?? He also said (much later, and after the initial announcement) that UK dependent spouses would be affected in the same way!!!!
The £410 million he mentions is a paltry amount to create all this ballyhoo over, and NOT the main thrust of his attack!!
So now we can have a British resident – who has paid his pension for 30 odd years – and his stay-at-home spouse who has to look after the kids – there can’t be many of them can there – he dies, and what happens to his pension??
It goes back to the state doesn’t it, because his wife hasn’t contributed!!!
That’s what he wants, and all this hype over the “overseas spouse” is going to give it to him on a plate!!
AND THE MEDIA, IN ITS USUAL RUSH TO PRINT, FELL FOR IT.
Let’s not forget though that anyone “at home bringing up children” got Home Responsibilities Protection i.e. NI credits upto 2010 and straight credits since then.
Equally, the Married Persons Allowance dies soon – when the flat-rate pension comes in as this is purely based on personal NI contributions.