The Trinidad and Tobago Senate on Monday passed the Prime Minister’s Pension (Amendment) Bill, 2025, introducing a minimum one-year term in office to qualify for a state pension, with payments now determined by a tiered structure based on time served. The amendment applies retroactively from March 10, 2025, effectively disqualifying former prime minister Stuart Young—who served just over a month—from receiving pension benefits.
The bill required a special three-fifths majority to pass in both chambers of Parliament. In the House of Representatives, the government secured passage on June 27 with all 27 government MPs voting in favour and 11 Opposition MPs abstaining.
In the Senate, the bill passed with 20 votes in favour, zero against, and 10 abstentions. The outcome hinged on the support of at least four Independent or Opposition senators—votes the government ultimately secured.
Independent Senators played a pivotal role in the bill’s passage. The following voted in favour:
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Mr. Deoroop Teemal
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Mr. Michael de la Bastide SC
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Mr. Francis Lewis
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Mr. Courtney Mc Nish
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Mrs. Alicia Lalite-Ettienne
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Those who abstained were:
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Mr. Anthony Vieira SC
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Ms. Candice Jones-Simmons
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Dr. Desirée Murray
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Ms. Zola Phillips (temporarily replacing Dr. Marlene Attzs)
The vote followed sharp criticism from the United National Congress (UNC), which questioned the neutrality of the Independent Senate bench just one day prior. At a press conference on Sunday, UNC PRO Dr. Kirk Meighoo claimed that failure by at least four Independent senators to support the bill would be tantamount to “enabling the PNM to continue to rape the Treasury, even in Opposition.”
The legislation marks a significant change to the pension eligibility rules for the country’s highest office and has already begun to impact former officeholders. Stuart Young, who served as prime minister from March 17 to April 28, will no longer qualify for a state pension under the new law.
 Bill, 2025, which disqualifies Stuart Young.){kind=link}