§ 14. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many people are now in receipt of non-contributory old-age pensions.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAt 29th October, 1957, about 236,000.
§ 15. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what will be the annual cost of paying non-contributory old-age pensions, including the proposed additional 2s. 4d. a week; and by what amount he estimates that this would be increased if the pension were to be paid as of right and without a test of means.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe National Assistance Board informs me that non-contributory old-age pensions, including the proposed addition of 2s. 4d., are expected to cost rather less than £14 million in the next financial year. No reliable estimate can be made of what the cost would be if the statutory condition relating to means were removed; if all persons who might then become eligible applied for the non-contributory pension, the extra initial cost to the Exchequer, after allowing for savings in national 10 assistance, would probably amount to between £30 million and £40 million a year.