PENSION AGE PLANS DON’T REFLECT SCOTTISH CIRCUMSTANCES
The SNP has today renewed its call for the UK Government to re-think its plan to increase the UK retirement age to 68 by 2048, as a new OECD report states that this would be the highest retirement age in the world equal only to the Czech Republic and Ireland.
The OECD report, ‘Pensions at a Glance 2015’, states: “In the future the highest male pension age given labour market entry at age 20 will equal 68 years in the Czech Republic, Ireland and the United Kingdom.”
The SNP supports a review of the UK Government’s plan to increase the State Pension age beyond 66 as this fails to take into account Scotland’s specific circumstances, including differences in life expectancy.
Commenting, Martin Docherty MP said:
“This new research confirms that the Tories current plans to increase the retirement age will mean pensioners in the UK waiting longer than people in almost any other country in the world to collect their State Pension.
While we welcome the long overdue increases in the State Pension rate that have been made in recent years, we must ensure that everyone who works hard for all of their life receives parity of support in later years.
While the Scottish Government and local Councils are doing everything they can to ensure that people in Scotland live longer and healthier lives, sadly the fact remains that healthy life expectancy in Scotland still lags behind the UK average. That’s why we support a review of the pension age increase to take into account specific Scottish circumstances.
This OECD report should be a wake-up call to Tory Ministers – they must review these unfair and flawed increases in the State Pension age.”
