NEWS RELEASE
From the office of the Green MEPs

3 February, 2003

ONE IN FOUR SINGLE WOMEN PENSIONERS 'IN POVERTY'
- LONDON MEP CONDEMNS POVERTY 'DOUBLE WHAMMY'

LONDON'S Green Party MEP Jean Lambert has condemned the poverty 'double whammy' facing female pensioners in the UK, highlighted in a new report from Age Concern and the Fawcett Society.

The report, entitled 'One in Four', says that a quarter of single women pensioners live in poverty and that for every pound a man receives from a pension, a woman receives just 32p. Mrs Lambert, who is Co-President of the European Parliament's Inter-group on Ageing and the Green Party's spokesperson on pensions, condemned the report's findings and called on Chancellor Gordon Brown to act to redress the balance in his next budget. "I very much welcome this report though I am frankly shocked by its findings," said Mrs Lambert. "The Government should be thoroughly ashamed that it has allowed this injustice to persist and I hope the Government it takes concrete steps to alleviate pensioner poverty in London and elsewhere.

"We hear positive rhetoric about winter fuel payments being made available whenever the weather turns nasty but this report shows poverty is a reality for many pensioners - especially women pensioners - all year round. There is no excuse for this in a so-called civilised society."

ENDS

A Jpeg picture of Jean Lambert with the 'One in Four' report is available on request.

For more information please contact Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk