Liberal Democrats win pension entitlement for carers

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 20th Apr 2007

The Liberal Democrats have won a concession from the government, which will give around 40,000 carers an entitlement to the basic state pension. In response to amendments tabled by the Lib Dems at committee stage of the Pensions Bill, the government yesterday - during the Bill's report stage - conceded a scheme whereby people who care for more than 20 hours per week for people who aren't necessarily in receipt of disability related benefits, where this is certificated by a social care or health professional, will accrue entitlement to the basic state pension.

Earlier in the same debate the government narrowly defeated a Lib Dem - Tory amendment to create a lifeboat fund for people who lost their pensions when their companies went bust. 15 Labour MPs rebelled on the proposal. A Liberal Democrat amendment to restore the pensions-earnings link from April 2008 instead of between 2012 and 2015, as proposed by the government, was not reached and therefore neither debated nor voted on.