Pensions Bill — Clause 2 — Credit National Insurance Contribution Years Based on More than One Job — 17 Mar 2014 at 16:30

The majority of MPs voted against allowing people's earnings from more than one job to be combined for the purpose of determining if they are eligible to be credited with a year's national insurance contributions. At the time of the vote only those with sufficient earnings from an individual job were eligible for the credits. Currently 35 qualifying years of contributions are required to become eligible for a full state pension.

MPs were considering the Pensions Bill^[1]. The motion approved by the majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 1.

Lords amendment 1 stated^[2]:

• Page 2, line 5, at end insert—
• "( ) Regulations may provide for circumstances in which a person may opt to have a year treated as a qualifying year if by aggregating income from two or more jobs, that person’s earnings are equal to or greater than the lower earnings level for that year."

This would have taken effect on clause 2 of the Bill^[3], titled "Entitlement to state pension at full or reduced rate".

During the debate prior to the vote Minister Steve Webb MP stated^[4]:

• We ask the House to disagree with the amendment, but we accept the principle that we need a pensions and national insurance system that is fit for the modern age.

==

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Pensions Bill
• [2] Lords Amendments to the Pensions Bill
• [3] Clause 2 of the Bill, two which the amendments relate
• [4] Steve Webb MP, (Thornbury and Yate, Liberal Democrat), House of Commons, 17 March 2014

Debate in Parliament | Source |