Prescription Charges

[Bonefishblues]

I used my discretion in late 1982 to do the right thing for some customers. I got a bollocking. I was right and he was wrong. It was a formative experience, as you might gather. I will bollock people for not doing the right thing - and people do know what the right thing is, by and large.

... but I do understand the point you are making.

[Mick F]

What I can't understand is that so many are saying the change (or their not knowing about the change) has messed-up their retirement planning, but even cursory "planning" would have highlighted the change.

If you spend your whole life knowing that you are going to receive your OAP at 60, and then after much publicity after the issue of that chap going to court over the difference in male vs female retirement age, and that the decision was to harmonise, and that harmonisation was going to take years and years, you come to terms with it even though the rules decided upon didn't affect you due to your age.

We married in 1973 and I would turn 65 soon after Mrs Mick F would turn 60. Because we were married - still are! - she would have to wait until I turned 65 for her to have her share of the married couple pension.

This situation remained for most of our life. Then, they moved the goal-posts and she was to have her own pension. She would receive credits for the years she was bringing up the children and receiving child benefit. These credits would NOT be backdated, but only as from a certain date. Therefore, she hasn't got sufficient NI contributions and cannot pay them backdated to those missing years.

Now, eventually, they shifted the goalposts again, and brought forward the age equalisation. Therefore she had to wait until 65. This wasn't made clear as to the birth dates of those ladies affected. No-one was contacted, and the only way we knew was via osmosis.

Then, they upped the age to 66.
No-one told us.

This situation has had a profound effect on us. I'm in receipt of OAP but she has to wait until she's 66. I will be 70 by then, when we should both have retired at my 65th birthday.
Mrs Mick F is still working - part time - and will probably do for another four years.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
My bad Should’ve said rest of the UK.

Hi,

Natural Ankling you need to find proper sources for your info re Scotland and not the BBC or Tory Press.

Don't read Tory press specifically.
Correct me on anything I have said.
What makes you think I read tory anything?

I am not surprised that scotland have bad health, I have been there several times.
Its dark being far north.
Food is not what you expect in the rest of England
Scotland did have worst heart heath in all of uk.

Sorry 934 not 1000!
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/sta ... 17-pub.pdf

Oops!

[Psamathe]

What I can't understand is that so many are saying the change (or their not knowing about the change) has messed-up their retirement planning, but even cursory "planning" would have highlighted the change.

If you spend your whole life knowing that you are going to receive your OAP at 60, and then after much publicity after the issue of that chap going to court over the difference in male vs female retirement age, and that the decision was to harmonise, and that harmonisation was going to take years and years, you come to terms with it even though the rules decided upon didn't affect you due to your age.

We married in 1973 and I would turn 65 soon after Mrs Mick F would turn 60. Because we were married - still are! - she would have to wait until I turned 65 for her to have her share of the married couple pension.

This situation remained for most of our life. Then, they moved the goal-posts and she was to have her own pension. She would receive credits for the years she was bringing up the children and receiving child benefit. These credits would NOT be backdated, but only as from a certain date. Therefore, she hasn't got sufficient NI contributions and cannot pay them backdated to those missing years.

Now, eventually, they shifted the goalposts again, and brought forward the age equalisation. Therefore she had to wait until 65. This wasn't made clear as to the birth dates of those ladies affected. No-one was contacted, and the only way we knew was via osmosis.

Then, they upped the age to 66.
No-one told us.

This situation has had a profound effect on us. I'm in receipt of OAP but she has to wait until she's 66. I will be 70 by then, when we should both have retired at my 65th birthday.
Mrs Mick F is still working - part time - and will probably do for another four years.

From what you said your situation is based on your "assumptions" rather than "planning". Where something can have a "profound effect" on you then it is wise to keep yourself up to date with the what is happening, particularly in an area undergoing changes.

I can no longer put up a shed in my garden without Planning Permission - nobody told me - and that is no defence when I'm told to take it down. NI Contributions for full State Pension have changed since I gave-up working - nobody told me but I routinely check and monitor how it impacts me.

Pensions have for years been subject to ongoing change that affects everybody so people doing retirement planning check and monitor. The SERPs changes have great significance to my own situation as do the changes to the NI contribution history - so I routinely check on the current situation and how it impacts me. I believe there is a risk to what I describe as the SERPs Contracting Out Underwriting Scheme (I've no idea of it's official name) so again, I regularly check if changes have ben made that would impact my situation.

Ian