Tag Archives: Universal Credit

Guy Opperman – hard hats will be needed!

Posted on November 8, 2022 by henry tapper

Honoured to be asked to take on this very important job. https://t.co/a89GlNqlPc — Guy Opperman (@GuyOpperman) November 7, 2022 As minister of State for employment, Guy Opperman has some immediate challenges. He inherits some of the highest employment figures we … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Normal service will be resumed by the end of October 2021″ -DWP

Posted on September 20, 2021 by henry tapper

I hope Guy Opperman’s promise that those due their state pension , some for 6 months or more, will get their payments with more than an apology. The short term blip in service is being blamed by the Minister on … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“My pension stole my benefits!”

Posted on September 19, 2021 by henry tapper

Gareth Morgan has , until now, been a lone voice, howling at the moon on the plight of the low paid faced with decisions on how to spend their pension pot. “Until now” means that he is now joined by … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

What is MAPS doing for the elderly poor?

Posted on February 22, 2020 by henry tapper

Why don’t those poor and old claim their benefits? It’s benefits not savings that top up the in retirement income of millions of British citizens, but the amount of time devoted to benefit take-up (as compared to savings rates) is … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

DWP – should the top topple when the spinning stops?

Posted on November 6, 2019 by henry tapper

I can’t remember another occasion when a Government department was stopped from lying to the people it serves by a Government agency. But that is what happened yesterday. The fact is that the Advertising Standards Agency has banned four of the … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, DWP, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Managing pension expectations – are we doing enough?

Posted on January 16, 2019 by henry tapper

This is one of those blogs where my focus is on big Government – or policy – rather than the little things that go into making political strategy happen. For a long time, as long as I’ve been working, there … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, pensions, religion | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why we should not be shut up about pensioner poverty – it exists and it shouldn’t.

Posted on June 15, 2018 by henry tapper

If you’d been at the ICAS “how to avert the pension crisis” debate on Tuesday, you’ll remember that part of the conversation when we discussed the Institute of Fiscal studies’ contention that we were having difficulty spending our retirement savings. … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The impact of low pension savings on retirement incomes – Gareth Morgan

Posted on January 9, 2018 by henry tapper

Income certainty and low pension savings There is concern, increasingly voiced, by some well-informed commentators, about some of the consequences of the pension freedoms. The complexity of choices, the lack of knowledge of most pension savers and the actions of … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Where does all our money go?

Posted on November 23, 2016 by henry tapper

Two of the big three revenue sources are income tax and national insurance, they’re the ones who hurt the well off. The third biggie -VAT is the one that hurts the poorest. Poor people pay VAT at the same rate as … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Fair and True” applies to the DWP too!

Posted on May 31, 2013 by henry tapper

Steve Webb has a public policy success on his hands but if he’s to capitalise on the good news from large employers, he’s going to take a few bullets now. Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments