'Staggering' difference in state pension payouts revealed by DWP

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said difference - which can amount to £10,000 a year - is down to the level of basic and additional state pension paid out under the present rules. About 130,000 people get £7 or less a week and the same number of people get £230 or more a week, it said. Pensions minister Steve Webb plans to replace the current system with a flat-rate pension for new retirees set above the means-testing level. It is thought pensioners will be given £140 a week regardless of circumstances. A delayed white paper on the mechanics of the flat-rate pension is d...