Pensioner Poverty — Redeem 1997 pledge — rejected — 4 Jun 2008 at 18:49

The majority of MPs voted against the words of the motion:^[1]

• This House
• deplores the fact that, even on the Government's own figures, there are nearly two million pensioners living in poverty in the UK, that the poorest pensioners are seeing their incomes decline in real terms and that according to EU figures only pensioners in Latvia, Cyprus and Spain are more likely to fall into poverty;
• is concerned at the damage caused to many pensioners' finances by the alarming rise in food, energy and fuel prices and in council tax;
• regrets the fact that some 2.25 million older households are suffering from fuel poverty;
• disagrees with the Government's refusal to state when it intends to restore the link between average earnings and the basic state pension;
• notes with regret the Government's decision to abandon its target for maximising the take-up of pension credit when some 1.7 million pensioners eligible are not claiming it;
• further deplores the sharp decline in private pensions savings since 1997; and
• calls on the Government to finally redeem its pledge, made in 1997, to ensure that 'all pensioners should share fairly in the increasing prosperity of the nation'

An alternative motion was passed in its place.^[2]

• [1] Nigel Waterson MP, House of Commons, 4 June 2008
• [2] Pensioner Poverty - Welcomes the policies of this Government, House of Commons Division, 4 June 2008

Debate in Parliament | Source |