NEWSLETTER 1: SUMMER 2002

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House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Welcome to the first newsletter from the "Support Women Against Pensions Poverty" (SWAPP) campaign. We are delighted to be joining together people around the country who believe that women get a raw deal on pensions and want to do something about it.

The campaign was launched in early May at Westminster by Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, Claire Rayner and myself. We were joined for the launch by Mrs. Margaret Watts from Weymouth who has first-hand experience of the injustices of the pensions system (see overleaf) and who has agreed to co-ordinate this network.

Since then over 150 women from around the country have indicated that they want to join the campaign. Each newsletter will contain updates about the campaign, action points, news from Parliament and letters from members. We look forward to working with you to promote justice in women's pensions.

Steve Webb MP,
Lib Dem Spokesman on Work and Pensions.

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To launch the campaign in Parliament, Steve Webb MP and Jim Knight MP tabled a motion on women's pensions issues in mid-July 2002, with cross-party support from other MPs. We urge you to approach your MP and ask him or her to sign Early Day Motion 1612 to show their support.  The text of the motion is below:

EDM 1612:  SUPPORT WOMEN AGAINST PENSIONS POVERTY

This House notes that a majority of today's poorest pensioners are women; further notes that among people coming up to state pension age, the majority of those with poor rights to both state and private sector pensions are women;  recognises that many women with poor state pension rights at some stage paid National Insurance Contributions at the reduced rate for married women;  is concerned that many such women report that the consequences of this option were not fully explained at the time, and that the scope for "buying back" missing years of contributions is very limited;  is further concerned that many women only discover that they have very low state pension rights when they are close to state pension age;  therefore calls on the Government to write to all women below pension age whose National Insurance contribution record is incomplete because of payment of the married woman's contribution to advise them of their current and future pension entitlement;  further calls on the Government to investigate the historic operation of the system of Married Women's contributions and to consider whether any form of redress might be appropriate for such women;  and welcomes the launch of the Support Women Against Pensions Poverty campaign, whose aim is to ensure that present and future generations of women pensioners do not have to live in poverty in old age.

<NB: THIS EDM BECAME Number 131 IN THE 2002-03 SESSION OF PARLIAMENT AND FINALLY CLOSED IN NOV 2003 WITH OVER 200 MPS' SIGNATURES. CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT.>

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News from Parliament: In July 2002, Steve Webb asked the Treasury how much money had been paid by married women at the reduced rate of NICs. They said that since the mid 1970s (when current computer records began), married women had paid over £4 billion in reduced rate NICs - getting nothing in return.   In today's money the total is in excess of £8 billion.   We believe that this is a pensions scandal to rival the Equitable Life or  Maxwell affairs and we will be campaigning to make people aware of how much married women paid for so little.

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FEEDBACK: We would love to hear from you.  In each newsletter we hope to publish letters from campaign members and perhaps tell the stories of one or two women who have been affected.  Write to: Margaret Watts at SWAPP, PO Box 5488, Weymouth DT4 9ZQ.   Membership of the campaign is free, but as we have no funds, we would welcome any contributions towards the costs of printing, postage etc. (cheques payable please to SWAPP).  We would also like to hear from you with campaigning ideas, or if you have particular skills that could help the campaign.