§ 47. Mr. R. MORRISONasked the Minister of Health the number of women, aged between 65 and 70, wives of insured persons, who have been refused the old age pension under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act because their husbands were 70 years of age prior to 2nd January, 1928?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI would refer the hon. Member to the answer on the 12th November to a question by the hon. Member for Gorbals (Mr. Buchanan) on this subject.
§ 48. Mr. MORRISONasked the Minister of Health, seeing that the contributions under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act will ultimately cover the cost of the contributory pensions between the ages of 65 and 70 and the non-contributory pensions under the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1924, relieving the Exchequer of an annual charge of, approximately, £40,000,000, if it is proposed to increase the pension of aged persons broken in industrial occupations?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThis question is based upon a misapprehension as to the facts. There is no separate contribution for old age pensions and there is no prospect of any such relief to the Exchequer as the hon. Member suggests. On the contrary the cost of the benefits provided by the Pensions Acts, contributory and non-contributory, will steadily increase and by 1965 will have risen to £125 millions, towards which the weekly contributions will only provide £43 millions, leaving £82 millions to be borne by the Exchequer.