PEOPLE could collect their state pension sooner in an independent Scotland than in the rest of the UK to reflect lower life expectancy north of the Border, SNP ministers will say tomorrow.
In the first of several papers on the mechanics of independence leading up to the comprehensive white paper in November, the Scottish Government will announce an expert review of the pension age in the event of a Yes vote in 2014.
Under current Westminster plans, the state retirement age begins to increase to 66 for men and women from 2018, rising to 67 from 2026. However, life expectancy at birth in Scotland is on average 1.8 years lower for women and 2.5 years lower for men than in the rest of the UK.
The Scottish Government's new paper, Pensions in an Independent Scotland, is intended to set out the arrangements for state, private and public sector pensions after independence. It says an expert commission would be set up after independence to assess the appropriate pace of change to the retirement age beyond 66 "taking account of Scottish circumstances".
The UK government last night warned that not raising the age to 67 in 2026 would add £6bn to Scotland's pension bill over a decade.
However, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said an independent commission would be created in the first year of independence so that MSPs could "take decisions which best suit the needs of people in Scotland".
l SCOTTISH First Minister Alex Salmond has written to David Cameron once again calling for a televised debate on independence between the pair, despite the UK Prime Minister refusing to take part only last week.
With the one year countdown to the referendum passed, Salmond has proposed a St Andrew's Day showdown with Cameron, but Downing Street rebuffed the challenge last weekend and insisted that the debate should be led by "Scottish voices".
l Salmond also issued a challenge to Ed Miliband, calling on the Labour leader to match the SNP pledge to retain the Royal Mail as a nationalised company. In a letter to Miliband, Salmond urged him to follow in his footsteps by promising to bring the postal company back into public ownership, if Labour was elected in 2015. "By doing so, a clear message will be sent to potential buyers that this sale will not stand," wrote Salmond.
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