"Older people should lose their pensions if they refuse to do community work to stop them being a `negative burden on society`, a former senior Whitehall official has suggested."
"Lord Bichard, an ex-chief of the Benefits Agency, said the elderly should get rewards and fines to make sure they are taking a more active part in the world."
"The crossbench peer, who also chaired an inquiry into the murder of two Soham school girls, suggested the same tough attitude towards benefit scroungers should be taken with older people..."
"Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, said: `This is absolutely outrageous. Those who have paid their national insurance contributions for 30 or more years are entitled to receive their state pension and there should be no attempt to put further barriers in their way`."
"`We already have one of the lowest state pensions in Europe and one in five older people in Britain live below the poverty line`."
"Dr Ros Altmann, director-general of Saga, said the idea was `very strange indeed`."
"`Those who have retired have already made huge contributions to our society and are already the largest group of charity and community volunteers,` she said. `The Saga website has been buzzing all day with angry messages of incredulity`."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9630862/Elderly-should-do-community-work-or-lose-pension-peer-says.html?fbclid=IwAR0GOyEPbjir1rBg997M0fCUHx8unrEP5p8LCm1mWHf_XPGpd4Gla__RnY4
