Ministers Must Do More to Help Borders Pensioners (Aberdeen South & North Kincardine Liberal Democrats)

Aberdeen South & North Kincardine Liberal Democrats <info@aberdeensouthlibdems.org.uk>

Ministers Must Do More to Help Borders Pensioners

August 3, 2009 9:18 AM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Borders MP Michael Moore has expressed his concern over figures released last week that show that British pensioners are amongst the poorest in the European Union, and called on Ministers to do more to help vulnerable older people living in the Borders.

The statistics, published by Eurostat, showed that almost one third of pensioners in the UK live in relative poverty; the same proportion as in Lithuania. A recent report from the cross-party Parliamentary committee on Work and Pensions on this issue cited the complexity of the benefits system as a key cause of pensioner poverty, with 1.7 million older people failing to claim money to which they are entitled.

Mr Moore has previously written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to warn that vulnerable elderly people in the Borders need additional financial support to cope with the impact of the economic downturn.

Commenting, Mr Moore said:

'These statistics are shocking, and illustrate clearly how successive Governments have failed vulnerable pensioners around the country since 1997.

'The basic state pension is simply too little to live on for the millions of pensioners who have no other income. Pensioners should not be forced to rely on complex means-tested benefits in their retirement, which has many put many off from even claiming.

'Ministers must do more to help those pensioners in the Borders who are struggling to make ends meet'.