§ 50. Mr. Lansburyasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of old age pensioners over 70 years of age whose old age pensions are compiled and paid through the customs and excise stations within the counties of London, Essex, Surrey, and Middlesex, separately for each county or town, and the same information for the county of Durham and the cities of Newcastle, Leeds, and Sheffield, and the county of Glamorgan?
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Lieut.-Colonel Colville)The expenditure of clerical labour in extracting these particulars from the local records would be considerable and I am afraid that for various reasons they would not be of much value when compiled. I am writing to the right hon. Gentleman to explain the difficulties involved.
§ Mr. LansburyIs it not a fact that each area keeps a record of the number of weekly payments? All I am asking for is the total number of persons to whom each area paid old age pensions.
§ Lieut.-Colonel ColvilleThe difficulty is that the areas covered by the Customs and Excise stations do not coincide with municipal boundaries. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will consider my letter and then have a word with me.
§ Mr. LansburyMay I put this question? The right hon. and gallant Gentleman gave me the same answer on the last occasion, and I put down the question purposely so that he could get the information through the channels that are under his control which have the information, and which need not employ any clerks to provide it.
§ Lieut.-Colonel ColvilleI have studied the question carefully, having in mind the answer that I gave to the right hon. Gentleman a few days ago. Perhaps he will read my letter and then talk to me about it.
§ Mr. LeonardCould not the Minister collaborate with the Post Office and get the information with their help?
§ 85. Mr. Kirbyasked the Minister of Health how many old age pensioners and how many widow pensioners are in receipt of relief from the Liverpool public assistance committee?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health (Mr. Bernays)The numbers of old age pensioners and widow pensioners in Liverpool who were also in receipt of poor relief were 7,169 and 3,256 respectively on the 1st January last, the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. KirbyWhile thanking the hon. Gentleman for his answer, may I ask whether he will make representations to his colleagues in the Government with a view to obtaining an increase in these pensions, so that the need to go to the public assistance committee will be avoided?
§ Mr. BernaysThe hon. Gentleman will appreciate that we have to take into account the cost of living. When the pensions were fixed, the cost of living was about 110.0 above the level before the War; it is now 52.0 higher. It is substantially less than when the Labour Government were in office.