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  Keith B #10 - the minimum retirement age from which a pension can be taken is now 55. It went up a few years ago. Yes, though in principal you are right. Pensioning someone off early was once thought to be a good way of getting rid of staff instead of redundancy, particularly in the public sector. But it is we taxpayers who are coughing up for these over-bloated public sector schemes. The changes being made that are causing a fuss are far too little too late.
  
  Yes, there is a pension crisis.
  
  It was spurred on by a raft of ill-consider government interference since 1995 that got worse after 1997. The taxation of pensions, ever increasing red tape, the foolish and failed stakeholder policy, the extra complications of 'pension simplification (sic) and now NEST - a third rate scheme that a lot of people will be dumped into over the next few years. It is a tragedy - before 1997 we had the best funded private pension schemes in Europe.
  
  In respect of unpinning guaranteed benefits this is an issue that does need serious attention.

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