§ 30. Mr. Oliverasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what financial advantage accrues to a pensioner who retires at 70 years of age for his five extra years at work and for the contributions paid by him for that period if he receives National Assistance, compared with his position had he retired at 65 years of age.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterApart from five extra years of earnings, a pensioner such as the hon. and learned Gentleman has in mind will have increased his own retirement pension by 15s. a week, and if he has a wife will also have increased her pension by 10s. a week, and by 15s. a week if and when he leaves her a widow. As a result, in general, he will not need to resort to National Assistance.
§ Mr. OliverDoes the right hon. Gentleman recognise that his Answer means that, after a pensioner has worked for five years, he gets no advantage whatsoever and is at a decided disadvantage in respect of National Assistance as compared with what his position would have been had he ceased work at 65? In view of the fact that the pensioner pays a contribution of about £87 in the five years he is at work and saves the Fund £845 by Hot drawing on it, will the right hon. Gentleman see whether some portion of his pension may be disregarded?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. and learned Gentleman has overlooked the fact that the figures to which the retirement pension is raised are, in general, above the Assistance scales and, therefore, the deduction which the hon. and learned Member draws from the figures is not sound. The difficulty about disregards is that the more one increases National Assistance disregards, the more one runs the risk of concentrating relief where, ex hypothesi, it is least needed.