Sir, Why shouldn’t pensionable age be extended to 67? When 65 years old was set most people started work at 15 or 18, but now many go to university and do not enter the workforce until their early twenties.

What is the difference between making a compulsory contribution to a private pension scheme and contributing to a government-organised one? This need not affect those in private schemes, who could opt out if their scheme met certain criteria, but for others a plan whereby savings were invested in, say, government stock would give them great security. Any savings are better than none and would help to make people more self-sufficient in retirement.

In some public sector schemes there have been abuses of the early retirement provisions, especially where ill-health has been used as a justification. The cost of such arrangements is extremely high and, of course, falls on the general public.

This does not seem fair and the rules should be supervised strictly, especially at a time when there is so much concern about the future for pensioners in general.

RAYMOND C. STURMER
Ingatestone, Essex

Sir, Public sector workers do not receive their state pension any earlier than workers in the private sector. It is the same age whether 65 or possibly 67 in the future. The CBI is comparing the state pension with contributory pensions that are part of the contract of workers in the public sector and for which they pay extra. There are also many people with similar private sector contributory pensions (such as me) who can retire at an earlier age.

Does the CBI really want 67-year-old police officers chasing 20-year-old criminals or 67-year-old nurses trying to lift 18-stone patients in their hospital beds?

BARRY WADESON
Milton Keynes

Sir, Should public sector employees be allowed to retire early on the grounds that they work harder than the private sector or the self-employed, and take less sick leave?

JOHN OFFORD
Bicester, Oxon

Sir, I received £400 this month from the Department for Work and Pensions, made up of £200 winter fuel allowance and £200 to help pay my council tax. The latter was described as being an “age-related payment to those aged 65 or over who are not in receipt of the guarantee element of pension credit during the qualifying week”. Both payments are taxfree.

I do not need this money, nor, I suspect, do a sizeable number of other recipients. I understand that deciding who should benefit is hard but surely this is income that should at least be taxed.

My local hospital is closing wards to save money and I would rather be assured of good NHS care in my old age than be given an annual taxfree bonus.

JUDITH RATTENBURY
Cambridge

Sir, Pensions are linked to prices, but to what prices? And why is council tax not included in the basket? If it were, perhaps this would defuse some of the fury generated among pensioners by the inexorable increase in council tax over and above the increase in the pension.

JOHN OSLER
Guildford, Surrey

Sir, In your leading article (“Civil disservice”, Nov 28) you state that public sector pensions now cost £460 billion a year.

If this were the case it would enable each man, woman and child living in the UK to receive about £8,000 each per annum.

ROD McKERLICH
Cardiff

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