To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of women who would become eligible to receive a full state pension if the reduction in the number of qualifying years required for those reaching the state pension age at or after 6 April 2010 were applied to all women in receipt of a state pension in 2010-11; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the Exchequer of such an extension. (284491)

It is estimated that an extra 850,000 women in Great Britain would become eligible to receive a full basic state pension based on their own contributions if the number of qualifying years necessary to receive a full basic state pension were lowered from 39 to 30, along with the implementation of other changes in the 2007 pension reforms, for women already in receipt of a basic state pension in April 2010.

Calculating basic state pension entitlement on the basis of 30 qualifying years, along with the implementation of other changes in the 2007 pension reforms, for women pensioners would cost around £1 billion (2009-10 price terms) in 2010 (net of income-related benefits).