§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the rules on buying-back past years of full national insurance contributions for married women who have paid the reduced rate. [119923]
§ Malcolm WicksWhere the National Insurance Contributions Office decides that a married woman seeking advice from departmental officials about her National Insurance contribution choice was given wrong information which led to her electing to pay reduced-rate contributions when it was not beneficial for her to do so, it is their policy to place the woman in the position she would have been if this advice had not been given. This means that she may pay full rate contributions for the affected years. In other circumstances, it is not possible for married women to buy back past years of full rate contributions for periods when they had a valid reduced rate election.
The married women who opted to pay reduced rate contributions made an informed choice. They were required to give written notice of their decision on a form attached to a leaflet. The leaflet went to great lengths to describe the consequences of that decision and required them to sign a declaration that they had read and understood the leaflet. Employers could not make this decision on behalf of their employees. Women who chose to pay reduced rate National Insurance contributions were given a certificate to give to their employer. An employer was not allowed to deduct reduced rate National Insurance contributions without this certificate. It would be unfair to those married women who chose to pay the full rate contribution to retrospectively put married women who paid the reduced rate contribution in the same position.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people have(a) applied for pension credit and (b) registered an interest in applying for the pension credit; [119918]
(2) how many letters have been sent to pensioners encouraging them to apply for the pension credit; and how many of these letters have received replies; [119921]
632W(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter that is being sent to pensioners to encourage them to apply for the pension credit. [119922]
§ Malcolm WicksI refer the hon. Member to the oral answer given by my right. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith) to the hon. Member for Perth (Ms Annabelle Ewing) on 9 June,Official Report 406, Col 394, 395. Copies of the different versions of the mail packs being sent to pensioner households are in the Library.