§ Q7. Mr. Shortasked the Prime Minister what reply he has sent to the two letters he has received from Newcastle-on-Tyne, East, Labour Party regarding pensioners' concessionary fares.
§ The Prime MinisterI will send the hon. Member a copy of my reply.
§ Mr. ShortWhen the Prime Minister emerged does not he recollect that he undertook to reply to all letters? Does he think that a couple of lines from his secretary is an adequate reply to two large meetings of old people? On the merits of the case, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that last Friday a large number of his hon. Friends again blocked the Bill? Is not he now really ashamed of himself and his party for their miserable and inhuman attitude in this matter?
§ The Prime MinisterThe reply was a perfectly courteous one. The Government consider that the best way of helping old people so that they can fulfil their legitimate needs is to give them cash payments and not to subsidise any particular service.
Mr. H. WilsonSince I have helped to sponsor a Bill on this question, and since at least 1,000 of my constituents are involved, may I ask the Prime Minister whether he thinks that there is any logic or humanity in a situation which allows a local authority to grant free 204 bus passes on any route where those passes were in force in November, 1954, but denies it to all old-age pensioners and others who are living on routes on new housing estates where, by the very nature of things, these passes could not have been given in 1954? Is he aware that some of my hon. Friends and I have corresponded with the Minister of Transport, and that we have received a flat negative to any proposal that old-age pensioners moving to new housing estates should be put in the same position as those covered by my hon. Friend's Act of 1955?
§ The Prime MinisterI can only repeat what I have just said, that we think that the best way of helping old people in need is to supplement their pensions with cash. That cash can be used in the way best suited to each individual.
Mr. WilsonWhy does not the Prime Minister do that? Secondly, will he again tell us why his party supported the 1955 Act in respect of old-age pensioners and the 1954 routes but will do nothing to help old-age pensioners in my constituency who, to my knowledge, are suffering real hardship because they have to spend 2s. or 3s. whenever they visit their relatives in the area from which they have just moved?
§ The Prime MinisterWe can do nothing but disagree about this. The Government believe in one method of assistance to old people and the right hon. Gentleman and his party feel that another way is better.
§ Mr. KershawOn a point of order. Is it not very unfortunate that the hon. Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Rankin) did not ask his Question No. Q6, for this has deprived English hon. Members of an opportunity to make invaluable suggestions?
§ Mr. SpeakerThat does not give rise to a point of order.
§ Mr. MontgomeryWhile I am not particularly impressed by people who are trying to make politics out of this issue, nevertheless this is a very human problem in Newcastle because we have concessionary fares on some buses but not on the new diesel buses which are taking over. I am sure that my right hon. Friend will agree that when a concession has been made and is then taken 205 away from people, it hurts them much more than if they had never had the concession in the first place.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir. But all sorts of old people have all sorts of different needs, and our opinion, therefore, is that the best way is to supplement their pension with cash. [Interruption.] If hon. and right hon. Members sit muttering on the Opposition Front Bench it is extremely difficult for them to hear. It is a perfectly ligitimate point of view to take that the best way to deal with the differing needs of pensioners is to supplement their pensions with cash.
Mr. H. WilsonBut does the right hon. Gentleman—[HON. MEMBERS: "One man band."] I have as much right to speak as anyone. Unlike some hon. Members I made this a main feature in the last election campaign. Is the Prime Minister suggesting that where we have two old-age pensioners living within 100 yards of each other, one of whom is entitled to free bus passes and the other, because of this historical accident and the Government's obstruction, is not allowed to have a concessionary bus pass, this creates the sort of situation which he described? Since, unfortunately, it is clear that he knows nothing about the situation, will he look at it again?
§ The Prime MinisterThe right hon. Gentleman's assumptions are wrong.