§ 8. Mr. Steve Webb (Northavon)If he will estimate the number of married women who were paying national insurance in 1990-91 at the reduced rate for married women in circumstances where they would have paid less national insurance had they paid the full rate of national insurance contributions. [125832]
§ The Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo)In 1990–91, under the previous Government, about 60,000 married women could have paid more national insurance contributions at the reduced rate than if they had paid at the full rate. With effect from April 1999, the Government ended that situation.
§ Mr. WebbI am grateful to the Paymaster General for that estimate of the number of women suffering that injustice. Does she accept that those 60,000 women were paying more national insurance than other women in the same workplace, but receiving no pension rights, unlike their neighbours, and that that was bizarre, unjust and unfair? That injustice was created under the previous Government; will the hon. Lady do something to rectify it?
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe hon. Gentleman knows that from 1948 to 1977, married women had the ability to elect to pay reduced national insurance contributions. Women had to apply for the reduced rate and sign a declaration stating that they fully understood that the reduced rate would mean reduced entitlement. That was changed in 1977 and the Department of Social Security ran publicity campaigns, both through employers and directly to individuals, to remind people that they could withdraw that declaration and return to making full contributions. The reasons why some women chose not to withdraw it are a matter for them.