Hi Alison

 

I have briefly read your proposals for a £105.00 minimum National State Pension which not doubt has serious merit. As the co-founder of www.ukgovabusesexpats I require your urgent response as to where exactly you see your proposals assisting Ex Pats living, for example, within the EEU. (This is of course a RIGHT for all EU Citizens enshrined in European Law)

 

By definition therefore I suggest that ANY paper, proposal or academic research that does not take cognoscense of this right to the freedom of movement, but rather refers to "basis of residence in the UK" is, by definition, incomplete, inaccurate and frankly a disgrace for having been so poorly researched prior to it being written.

 

This is the quote attributed to you found on Today's BBC (Business section) web site.

".....The flat-rate £105 a week would be paid to everyone over pension age on the basis of residence in the UK rather than the National Insurance they had paid at work...."

For the benefit of ExPats who may not know of your organisation I quote from your web site :-

The Pensions Policy Institute is an educational charity set up to promote, on a non-political basis, the study of pensions and other retirement provision.

The PPI was launched in January 2002 by the Pension Provision Group who recommended that:

An organisation independent of government needs to have lead responsibility for accumulating, analysing and publishing the information about current and future pension provision and its implications for future pensions policy

To have a remit which states part of your objectives as being "publishing the information about current and future pension provision and its implications for future pensions policy.." and then to have totally FAILED to refer to, or address, the issues of EXPat pension provision is an absolute disgrace.

I suspect there are various other pressure groups like the T.U.C., various major Trades Unions and The Pensioners Convention that would, and quite rightly, should take deep exception to your apparent contempt for ExPats. Many of these people, Alison, will have paid in significant sums of money to the Treasury over their working lives - many more than YOU. To fail to acknowledge that fact is totally indefensible. I shall be pleased to post your response on our web site for all ExPats to see alongside this request for your comments. 

Regards

Peter Woodall