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Liz LynneLiberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands 1999-2012 |
Change pension regime to lift older people out of poverty, says Euro-MP
September 15, 2008 3:00 PM
Local Euro-MP Liz Lynne has welcomed a plan to restore the link between
the basic state pension and earnings, which calls on the Government to
honour its responsibility to keep pensioners out of poverty. The plan was
outlined in a policy motion backed by the Liberal Democrat Conference in
Bournemouth.
Expressing concern that despite reforms, some three million Britons will
still not be entitled to the full state pension and that its value in
comparison to earnings is now lower than thirty years ago, the motion
calls for security and dignity in retirement for everyone.
Speaking today, Liz Lynne MEP, who is Co-Chair of the European
Parliament's Intergoup on Ageing said:
'I am delighted that we have made a commitment to immediately restore the
link which used to exist between pensions and earnings to halt the
relative decline of the state pension?s value.
'It is a national scandal that the state pension, in its centenary year,
no longer provides the guarantee of a reasonable income into old age.
'I am outraged that 2.2 million of today?s pensioners live in poverty and
so many are dependent on means tested benefits, which many people do not
even know how to claim, just in order to make ends meet.
'Our older people have been neglected for too long. They deserve better
and the Liberal Democrats can make this happen.'
ENDS
Notes:
Liz Lynne MEP authored a key 2007 joint report for the European Parliament
on Social Protection, Social Inclusion and Social Reality Stocktaking
which, amongst other things called for increased sharing of best practice
among EU Member States in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
Please find the report here:
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