HC Deb 18 February 1957 vol 565 cc16-20
37. Mr. Hector Hughes

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that the continued rise in the cost of living is inflicting hardship on old-age pensioners; and if he will now take steps to increase the basic pension rates and public assistance rates to an extent proportionate to the increase in the cost of living.

65. Mr. G. Thomas

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when he expects to be able to announce his decision with regard to the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners' request for an increase of £1 per week in the basic pension; and whether he will make a statement.

66. Mr. Hunter

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the fact that, in relation to purchasing power, the £2 per week old-age pension is now worth only 37s. 6d., if he will take urgent steps to raise the basic rates of old-age pensions.

The Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter)

I would refer the hon. Members to my answers to similar Questions on 28th January and 4th February.

Mr. Hughes

Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that the Government are grossly unjust in seeking increased incomes for landlords and others who are better off than old-age pensioners, many of whom are in penury and want, and will he reconsider his cruel and harsh answer?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Before the hon. and learned Gentleman calls my answer harsh and cruel, he should really appreciate that rates of retirement pension have never been moved frequently by any Government. It is less than two years since we gave an increase in the rate. Since then the cost of living has moved 9 per cent., whereas the former Government waited five years for an increase of 28 per cent.

Mr. Marquand

But does the right hon. Gentleman not recollect that Mr. Osbert Peake told the House that the yardstick as to whether pensions should be increased would be the number of persons on assistance? Has not the number of retirement pensioners on assistance now reached almost the same point as it did when Mr. Peake made that statement?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

I am answering a Question later on the number of persons on assistance. I do not think the right hon. Gentleman will find that it will provide very much assistance for his argument.

Mr. Thomas

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he has not answered my Question as to when he expects to be in a position to announce his decision on the request by the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners? Is the right hon. Gentleman further aware that when the Government did increase old-age pensions or retirement pensions last, they put the date forward so that the increase had lost its value before it was received? Bearing that fact in mind, is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the nation is disturbed about what is happening to our old folk with this constant increase in the cost of living?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

If the hon. Gentleman will study the previous answers to which I have referred him, he will see that I did answer his Question. On the second part of his supplementary, as I think he knows, when changes of this sort have taken place in the past there has always been, for obvious administrative reasons, a gap of some months between the initiation of the legislation and the putting into effect of the actual changes.

Mr. Hunter

In view of the Minister's answer to me the other week to the effect that the £2 a week pension is now worth only 37s. 6d. a week, is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that that loss of 2s. 6d. a week means a lot to those receiving only £2 a week? Will the Minister investigate the position again?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

I am not sure to which of the numerous answers that I have given the hon. Gentleman he is referring, but he will bear in mind that the real value of the pension is today higher than it was during the whole period between 1948 and 1955.

43. Dr. King

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance by how much the cost of living has increased since retirement pensions were last increased.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

By 9 per cent.

Dr. King

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his chief preoccupation ought to be with the poverty of the poor and that the old-age pensioner is steadily moving into poverty? Will the Minister treat this as a matter of some urgency and do something for the old-age pensioners?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

I would ask the hon. Member to study the further lengthy supplementary answers I gave to his hon. Friends a few minutes ago.

Mr. Randall

As the right hon. Gentleman is constantly repeating to the House that there is nothing doing for the old-age pensioners, may I ask if his attention has been drawn to a statement in the old-age pensioners' journal that the Government are to increase the pension by 5s. in April next and that this matter is being considered by the Cabinet?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

The hon. Member must not expect me to accept responsibility for publications of that kind, or, indeed, any kind; I answer to this House at this Box.

56 and 57. Mr. Allaun

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) if he will give an estimate of the average weekly amount spent by old-age pensioners on food;

(2) if he will undertake an inquiry into the present budgets of old-age pensioners under various heads of expenditure, and publish the results.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

I would refer the hon. Member to the information about expenditure by pensioners on food available in the Reports of the National Food Survey. Other information arising from the inquiry by the Ministry of Labour into household expenditure is due, I understand, to be published about the middle of this year.

Mr. Allaun

Is the Minister aware that an inquiry now being undertaken in the typical industrial area of Salford reveals that very many pensioners, even after receiving their supplementary allowance, have less than 2s. 6d. a day left to spend on food? Does he appreciate that they cannot feed themselves properly on that amount? Will not the inquiry reveal the different spending pattern for old-age pensioners as against those with more reasonable standards and show that the cost-of-living index is not properly reflecting the hardship of old-age pensioners?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

As far as the last part of that question is concerned, I think that if the hon. Member studies my Answer, which, I am afraid, was a bit long, he will be somewhat reassured that these figures relate to the people about whom he is particularly concerned in the Question. As far as the first part of his Question is concerned, of course I cannot comment without knowing what other resources are available.

Mr. J. Griffiths

Has the Minister considered—and if not, will he do so—referring to his Advisory Committee the comments of the Phillips Committee on the relevance of the existing cost-of-living index to the pattern of spending of old-age pensioners?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

I am not at all sure that that is an appropriate matter for reference to my Advisory Committee, but I am well aware of the Report of the Phillips Committee on this and on a good many other points.

58. Mr. Houghton

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what percentage of retirement pensioners were receiving National Assistance payments at the most recent available date.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Some 23.6 per cent of retirement pensioner households were receiving such payments at 30th September, 1956.

Mr. Houghton

Is this percentage tending to rise?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

It is quite true that it is 2 of 1 per cent. higher than for 1955, but it is rather lower than for the previous three years.