An online petition calling for a minimum weekly state pension of £380 for all men and women over the age of 60 is to be debated by Parliament next month. The petition, created by Michael Thompson, has received more than 107,980 signatures of support across the UK and will be debated by MPs on Monday December 12.
The petition also calls on the government to lower the state pension age from 66 to 60. The Daily Record reports that the petition says current payments are “far too low” and suggests that increasing the basic Sstate pension weekly rate from £141.85 to £380 - equivalent to £19,760 per year - to everyone aged 60 or over, “should lift thousands out of poverty” while giving older people “more spending power and help grow the economy”.
The proposals in the petition were rejected in September by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Its response came after the petition passed the 10,000 signature threshold which triggers an official response from the government. Similarly, once a petition passes the 100,000 signature threshold it is considered for debate in Parliament.
