Opting Out Of Equal Pensions

EDM number 399 in 1991-92, proposed by Graham Allen on 13/12/1991.

That this House notes that British women are paying the price of the Maastricht Summit, because the EC has allowed the United Kingdom a third 'opt-out', in addition to the social chapter and the single currency, by agreeing to an opt-out from providing equal pensions for British women and men in a protocol which amends the Treaty of Rome to exempt British and occupational pension funds from the requirement to treat men and women equally on all contributions paid before 17th May 1990, thereby effectively blocking the Barber judgement and postponing equality for another 40 years, until contributions are built from a 1990 starting point; and recognises that this Protocol applies only to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands since the other 10 countries already have equal rights and have no intention of removing them.

This motion has been signed by a total of 44 MPs.