Q&A: Why the state pension age is rising

Raising the state pension age will save the government millions of pounds

The coalition government wants to raise the age at which people are eligible to draw the state pension faster than the previous government planned to do.

The government's Pensions Bill proposes that the state pension age for women rise from 60 to 65 by 2018, and then increase to 66 for both sexes by 2020.

The Labour government was planning to make the same change, but with a much longer timescale, reaching 66 by 2026.

The state pension age for women was already being raised to 65, but the swifter rise means that some women are angry at being caught in an age bracket in which they say they cannot make up for the state pension they are losing.

Another important change to pensions is the phasing out of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) from October 2011, which allows employers to force employees to retire when they reach the state pension age.

The pension problem has moved centre stage with the swelling of the budget deficit.

What is the problem?

How is the government tackling the issue?

Why has this become a battleground for some women?

How much will these changes save?

What about money saved by abolishing the default retirement age?