WITH all the recent headlines concerning the budget that’s set to rob the pensioners, I think even Mr Cameron would find it difficult to justify the situation my wife is putting up with in relation to her state pension.

My wife is now 63, and draws her pension annually because it’s so low the Department of work and Pensions can’t be bothered administering her weekly payment of 49p. Yes that isn’t a typing error, it really is 49p.

The reason for such a low payment, she was told, was that the payment is calculated on National Insurance contributions.

Unfortunately, although my wife has worked all her life from the age of 14, she never actually earned enough to pay NI contributions. A letter she received the other day did inform her about plans to increase her payment by 2p, to make it to a staggering 51p.

She’s now trying to consider where to spend her new-found wealth.

Unfortunately the increase may just get gobbled up in the rent and council tax increases, not to mention the cost of food and energy bills, which have rocketed recently. Given this government’s habit of turning a blind eye to the massive bank bailout payments, and all the dodgy claims for expenses, she and anyone else with any sense would be bound to agree. It’s unfair.

E Webber Westbourne Avenue Bolton