For every £1 a man receives from a pension, a woman receives only 32p, government figures show.Ministers are considering root-and-branch reform of the pension system to address inequalities between retired women and men. This week, the government report will highlight the discrepancy between the retirement incomes of women and men and detail the extent of poverty among elderly women in Britain. The study, by the Department for Work and Pensions, is expected to show that 2.2 million women do not receive a basic state pension as a result of low wages or not having a job. Women who retire in the UK are four times less likely to qualify for a full state pension than men, a report is expected to show. Some US carriers have cut food on short flights, and many UK airlines, including BA, have already changed the sorts of food they offer, opting largely for snacks such as sandwiches and muffins.The review is thought to concentrate only on flights to nearby cities such as Paris. Longer short-haul trips and long-haul flights are unlikely to be affected.A BA spokeswoman said: "We listen to our customers' views on the service we offer and what they would like us to provide We make changes to the catering we offer on a regular basis. But we remain committed to offering all our customers complimentary catering on all our flights."BA catering has returned to near-normal, although passengers on some short-hauls are still being given food bags or vouchers.. Air travel may never be the same again.
After valiant attempts to make a congealed sausage in a plastic tray appealing, and years of "Chicken or beef?" echoing down the aisles, British Airways may scrap in-flight meals on short-haul trips. BA is reviewing its catering after trouble at its supplier, the Heathrow-based Gate Gourmet. The loss-making business, which provides BA with 80,000 meals a day, was hit by a strike this summer that left many BA flights without food. The airline is considering offering vouchers for free meals at airports or handing food bags to passengers when boarding. But industry insiders believe stopping the popular breakfast service could upset many business travellers.Low-fare, no-frills flights have boomed. The drinking ban is said to be "strongly supported" by the British Transport Police.. Drinking on commuter trains and buses could be outlawed under new proposals to combat anti-social behaviour under discussion in Downing Street.
The total ban on drinking on all forms of public transport is among around 40 measures discussed at a recent Chequers summit chaired by Tony Blair. Borrowers have until Monday to sign up for its two-year rate of 4.29 per cent. Birmingham Midshires is also withdrawing its two-year deal of 3.89 per cent on Monday.Portman, Scottish Widows and Abbey have also taken cheap fixed-rate deals of the market during this month.The fixed-rate mortgages have been popular with borrowers this year, because prices have until now rivalled the cheapest variable-rate products.. A series of lenders have withdrawn their best offers in recent weeks following interest-rate rises on institutional money markets. "Borrowers need to move fast if they want to secure a cheap fixed-rate deal: some have already been withdrawn and the remaining 'best buys' won't be around for much longer," said Melanie Bien, associate director of the independent mortgage broker Savills Private Finance. "It is not clear when we will see such attractive fixes again, so there isn't much point waiting for better deals to come along - you may be waiting for a long time."Halifax is the latest lender to withdraw its best-buy fixed rate. Would he use a retailers' payment plan again? "No way," he says.. Leading mortgage advisers yesterday advised homeowners to sign up for the cheapest fixed-rate home loans before they are withdrawn.