PP gov't committed to serving seniors, increasing pensions

Minister of the People Dr Glen Ramadharshingh told Parliament Friday the People's Partnership is still committed to reducing the pensionable age so all old-age pensioners would get a pension at 60 years.

And he said the Partnership is keeping the specific promise of delivering within 120 days of assuming office a $3,000 pension for pensioners 65 years and over.

Piloting the Senior Citizens Amendment Act, Ramadharsingh said, "In order to address the disadvantage at which this category of persons is placed, Cabinet...approved the expansion of the payment structure of the senior citizens' pension so that the monthly threshold for meeting the qualifying income criterion is $3,000 per month."

The minister also stated that a person receiving an income between $2,800 and $3,000 would now receive a pension of $1,000. That's a change of the previous position where the pension ceiling was $2,800.

He said this allows persons "whose income exceeds the ceiling of $2,800 per month, but is less than or equal to $3,000, to be paid a monthly pension of $1,000."

The minister dismissed the opposition People's National Movement (PNM) charges that the government had failed to deliver on its election promise, saying the senior citizens' pension and the quantum of the pension would not be less than $3,000 at the lowest end and up to $4,000 at the upper limit.

He said it is still the intention of his government to lower the pensionable age to 60 "and that is our intention as we have said".

Ramadharsingh reiterated that his government is committed to serving pensioners "with the highest degree of sensitivity and equity that every citizen of this nation deserves".

He took a swipe at the former government, saying the PNM administration spent "billions and billions of dollars" and was sadly lagging in assistance to the poor and needy.

"It is not that they did not know about the poor and suffering. They simply did not care for senior citizens as much as they cared for big buildings, as much they cared for private jets, as much as they cared for the illegal construction of the churches," Ramadharsingh declared.