FROZEN PENSIONS

Early day motion 366, tabled 20 June 2005 by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 137 members.

That this House believes that British pensioners living in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe suffer unfairly because the value of their pensions is frozen and not up-rated annually in line with inflation; notes that approximately 480,000 out of the UK's 900,000 expatriate pensioners live in these five countries; considers that treating these pensioners differently from those living in other countries is a grave injustice; welcomes the opinion given by Lord Carswell in the House of Lords on 26th May that once it is accepted that pensions should be paid to contributing pensioners resident abroad, then no justification remains for paying some less than others and less than UK residents; recalls the noble Lord's observation that `The Government may have been entitled under domestic law to take this course if it so chose, but for the reasons which I have indicated I consider that article 14 of the Convention [ECHR] operates to prevent such discrimination'; and urges the Government to expand the up-rating of pensions for all British pensioners living abroad.

Signatures by party: Labour 64, Liberal Democrat 35, Conservative 27, DUP 5, Scottish National Party 2, Plaid Cymru 1, Respect 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1, UUP 1.