54. Mr. JENKINSasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider the introduction of amending legislation to the Old Age Pension Acts so as to remove the hardship imposed on claimants for old age and blind persons pensions by taking 5 per cent. of the capital value on £375, after excluding the first £25, and 10 per cent. of the capital value in excess of the first £400, having regard to the experience of old age pension committees that the amount received by the claimants is under 5 per cent.?
§ 56. Lieut. - Commander FLETCHERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider introducing legislation to amend the Old Age Pensions Act, 1919, as regards calculation of the means of claimants for old age and blind persons' pensions under Section 4 of the Act, in view of the fact that whereas under the Act the yearly value of capital value of property is taken, after excluding the first £25, as 5 per cent. in respect of the next £375, and as 10 per cent. in respect of all capital value in excess of the first £400, in the majority of cases coming up for consideration the amount actually received by claimants and pensioners is under 5 per cent. owing to the present cheapness of money, e.g. the present rate of interest on national savings certificates, which rate was recently reduced by the Government?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. W. S. Morrison)I would refer the hon. Members to the 1171 answer given on 12th December last to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Knutsford (Brigadier-General Makins).
55. Mr. JENKINSasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, having regard to the inadequacy of the old age pension of 10s. per week, and in view of the experience of public assistance committees in having to supplement the pension, he will consider introducing amending legislation to provide a pension at a higher weekly rate?
§ Mr. MORRISONNo, Sir. The facts do not support the assumptions in the question. The number of contributory and old age pensioners over 65 who are in receipt of relief is less than 10 per cent. of the total number of such pensioners.
§ Mr. HOLDSWORTHDo I understand that the reason for that figure is that these pensioners have to go on working? Would not the figure be different if the pension were bigger?
§ Mr. MORRISONThat is another question; if the hon. Member will put it down, I will give him an answer.
§ 57. Mr. LECKIEasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the approximate annual cost of pensions if granted to the wives of men receiving contributory pensions at the age of 65 where the wife is not yet 65 but was married to the pensioner before the passing of the Contributory Pensions Act?
§ Mr. W. S. MORRISONAs regards the cost of granting pensions generally to the wives of contributory pensioners in cases where the wife has not attained the age of 65, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 19th March last to the hon. Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey). There are, I fear, no data available from which the cost could be calculated of an extension of pensions restricted to cases where the wife was married to the pensioner before 1925.