Sir Joe says no date yet for pension gender equalisation but vows ‘it will be done’ 

The Gibraltar Government is not yet able to say when the pensionable age for men will be reduced by five years and equalised with women at 60, adding this was a complex matter, in part because Gibraltar was doing the opposite of other countries whch were increasing pensionable age. 

Sir Joe Bossano set out the position as he responded to questions in Parliament from Opposition MP Damon Bossino, who pressed him on why this measure had not yet been implemented even though the GSLP/Liberals had promised it in every electoral manifesto since 2011. 

“It’s closer than it was before and I would expect it to be done in this term,” Sir Joe said. 

Asked why it was taking so long, Sir Joe said the Government needed to know “who may be eligible and who might not be eligible” and that, in the context of Brexit, this could not be determined with precision “until everything is signed and delivered”. 

Determining eligibility was complicated because other countries in the EU were increasing the pensionable age to 67 and some people might be accessing the right to pension a having worked in more than one place including Gibraltar. 

“It's a problem that only we have because we're going in the opposite direction,” Sir Joe said.  

“It's not as simple an exercise as it might seem at first glance.”  

“If nobody outside Gibraltar was going to be able to access this, then it would be a much simpler exercise.” 

And he added: “But in any event, however long it takes us, it will be done.”