Solution required to women's low pensions

The UK work and pensions secretary has called for a solution to the problem of low pensions for many women.

David Blunkett told delegates at the Labour Party conference that he planned to "reshape" the UK's pensions and benefits system and "empower" people.

He claimed that the issue of women losing out on pension provision was a "scandal" and declared that the forthcoming report from the Pension Commission, due in November, would examine ways of improving pensions provision for women, the BBC reports.

Many women fail to secure a full state pension because they take time off from work to care for children or relatives, while many more are reliant on a partner's pensions for their retirement.

In his address, the minister also tackled the problem of employees who had lost their pensions, stating that he believed some workers had been "scandalously" let down by their employers and pledging to use the government's Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) to help address the problem.

"Today we face the challenge of getting that right, but we also face the challenge of making sure that it doesn't happen again," Mr Blunkett said.

A group of pensioners staged a protest at the conference against the pensions scandal, by stripping off on Brighton beach. The protest, organised by the Pension Action Group, also included a march from Brighton Pier and a tour in an open-top bus.