Commenting on the Pensions Bill in the Queen’s Speech, Simon Bottery, Director of Policy at Independent Age, said:
“We welcome the Pensions Bill as a belated recognition that, with an ageing population, we will need to revise our approach to later life, being far more flexible about how and when we retire and claim our pensions. But information will be key to making good decisions and we are concerned that the government may already be backtracking on its Budget promise of free, impartial and face to face pension advice for people about to retire. Good information and advice needs to be a cornerstone of this Bill, not an add-on. We also welcome the option introduced in the Bill of so-called ‘collective pensions’, though the government clearly still has work to do if it is to convince employers and employees of their value.”