While we're on the subject of pensions, if anyone would like to sign the on-going petition against discrimination of British State pensioners who retire in certain overseas countries (NZ in this case) and won't get any annual increases in their state pension, here's the
link . Don't know if it'll do any good but has to be worth a try. We've faithfully paid our NI contributions and done everything else the same as those who live in countries who will get the annually uprated pensions, yet we're being penalised purely because of the country we've chosen to retire to.
British State pensions are paid out of the National Insurance Contribution fund which, the Government's own Actuary Department stated in early 2006, has a surplus exceeding current requirements of over £30 billion and growing.