Scrapping pension benefits for the younger partners of people aged over 65 will only save €11m in 2011 and €85m from 2014, not €27m and €170m as hoped, social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner told MPs on Tuesday evening.

At the moment pensioners with a younger partner can claim their own state pension of €673 plus up to the same amount for their partner, if they don’t have a job or only work a few hours a week.
The government plans to stop the pay-out to people aged under 55 in 2011.
The minister must now find additional savings to make up for the shortfall. MPs are due to discuss the social affairs ministry spending plans for 2010 today.