The Work and Pensions Secretary, John Hutton, has said that a better deal for women will underpin the Government's pension reform agenda. He said that the Government will target women aged 45 or over who have not benefited from home responsibilities protection.
Carers will benefit from an extension and simplification of the current state entitlement. The Government's 'new deal for women' will tackle the 'inequalities of a system that reflects an outdated view of family relationships, properly recognising the ways in which people contribute to our modern society'.
Our view
Given that retirement ages are being extended, we see the above as very strange. 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul'. The Government are technicaly encouraging more people to become carers etc with their state pension benefits not affected yet are penalising those that pay National Insurance.