Women will lose out on pensions, warn Tories

Ahead of the publication of the government's pensions policy, the Conservatives have warned that millions of women could still lose out.

Ministers are expected to reform the existing pensions rules to ensure that women who take a break from work to bring up children are no longer penalised.

It is expected that carers will also benefit from similar changes to the existing system.

But the Tories said the likely proposals will leave millions of women no better off.

The new rules, where only 30 years of National Insurance contributions are required for a full basic state pension, are expected only to benefit women retiring after an arbitrary date in 2010, said the party.

An estimated 3.8 million women pensioners who do not currently receive a full state pension will not benefit from these changes.

And an additional 1.1 million women will retire on less than a full state pension between now and 2010.

Shadow pensions secretary Philip Hammond said: "It does not seem fair that a woman retiring on a April 1, 2010 will get a full state pension based on 30 years' contributions, but that a woman retiring on March 31 with the same contributions will be condemned to a lifetime on a partial pension.

"This announcement offers nothing to the millions of women currently receiving inadequate state pensions or to those who will retire in the next few years.

"Surely the government has its priorities wrong? Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are happy to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers' money to allow public sector workers to continue to retire at 60 while offering millions of women no help at all."