Mrs. S. E. Green (Hansard, 27 October 1993)

§ Mr. Hague

The administration of retirement pension is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 26 October 1993: As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions raised about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking for what reasons Mrs. S. E. Green, National Insurance No. TW 44 81 53 C, was not informed in time of the possibility of making additional contributions. I can confirm that Mrs. Green did not meet the minimum qualification for Retirement Pension. On 21 May 1951 she exercised here right as a married woman to pay reduced rate National Insurance contributions and she reaffirmed this choice on 22 August 1960 and 12 April 1962. Each time Mrs. Green notified the Department of her choice she would have completed form CF9 and signed the declaration that she had read leaflet NI1 or had had the contents explained to her. This leaflet sets out the position of married women with regard to National Insurance and explains the effect non payment of contributions has on title to benefit. I should explain that whilst an election not to pay contributions is in force the woman has no right to pay any Class 3 contributions to improve her pension entitlement. It is, of course, open to a woman to cancel her choice at any time, although having done so, she cannot later return to paying reduced rate contributions. An application to cancel a choice must be made in writing in advance of the date the change is to take place. As Mrs. Green attained age 60 on 12 September 1987/the last date for which contributions would count for pension purposes in her case was 5 April 1987. She would therefore have had to cancel her contribution choice before that date to allow any subsequent voluntary contributions to count towards her pension. However, the Department's records show that Mrs. Green did not make an enquiry until August 1987 at which time it was too late to change her choice of contribution. The Department does all it can to ensure that contributors are aware of their responsibilities and pension rights through its leaflets, public notices, local radio, the press and the freephone advice line. However, the onus is on the individual to make sure that they have the information they need about the scheme to maintain their contribution records, protect their benefit rights and claim benefit at the proper time. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.