§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Minister for Women what discussions she has had with other departments concerning pension poverty amongst women; and if she will make a statement. [106410]
§ Ms HewittI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2002,Official Report, columns 617–18W, about the way in which my Department is working with DWP on this issue, both at ministerial and official level.
The Government are committed to ensuring that women are not disadvantaged regarding pension provision and enjoy a decent income in retirement. We have already introduced a range of measures including stakeholder pensions, minimum income guarantee and state second pension to help with this. From October 2003, the new pension credit will benefit lower income pensioners further still. Two-thirds of people receiving pension credit will be women, half of whom will be aged 80 or over.