§ 30. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Minister of Social Security whether she will now make an increase in the industrial widows' pension which for certain widows has remained unchanged at £1 per week since 1948.
§ 33. Dr. David Owenasked the Minister of Social Security when the Government intend to increase National Insurance benefits.
§ 47. Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Minister of Social Security when she in- 1110 tends to introduce legislation increasing retirement pensions and other social security benefits; and whether she has yet decided on the amounts of such increases.
§ 49. Mr. Deanasked the Minister of Social Security what plans she has to increase all social security benefits before the coming winter.
§ The Minister of Social Security (Miss Margaret Herbison)I must ask the hon. Members to await the details of legislation which I hope to introduce shortly.
§ Mrs. ShortWhile thanking the Minister for repeating an Answer that she has given on many occasions in the House, may I ask her whether she will undertake to consider this small group of women who were so badly treated by the party opposite when it was in power? That party did nothing to relieve them. Will my right hon. Friend relieve some of the anomalies that exist in the treatment of widows?
§ Miss HerbisonWe are giving consideration to the question of the industrial injuries widow.
§ Mr. MacmillanIs the right hon. Lady aware that I asked not only whether she would introduce legislation early, but whether she had decided on the amounts of such pensions increases?
§ Miss HerbisonI realise that point very fully, and I would just ask the hon. Gentleman to have a little patience for not many days.
§ Mr. DeanCan the Minister give an assurance that she will deal with existing anomalies, particularly those of the non-pensioner, and widows over 50 who do not get pensions under the present arrangements?
§ Miss HerbisonAlready, in a little over 2½ years, we have dealt with a great many anomalies and brought forward a great many improvements. In our general review, the items to which the hon. Gentleman has referred are being considered.
§ Mr. AllasonWill the right hon. Lady remember the war widows, who are also on a £1 pension, and take them into consideration for benefits?
§ Miss HerbisonCertainly.
§ 48. Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Minister of Social Security what would be the extra cost of increasing the retirement pension by 20s. per week and 10s. per week, respectively, for a single person, together with proportionate increases in the pension of a married couple and consequential increases in other social security benefits.
§ Miss HerbisonThe extra cost in 1968–69 for National Insurance, industrial injuries and war pensions would be of the order of £480 million and £240 million respectively, less, in each case, savings on supplementary benefits dependent on the level at which these benefits were set.
§ 50. Mr. Deanasked the Minister of Social Security by how much National Insurance benefits should be increased in order to maintain the same relation to average industrial earnings as at the last increase in benefits.
§ Miss HerbisonOn the basis of the increase in average earnings of men as shown by the Ministry of Labour's half-yearly inquiry into earnings of manual workers in manufacturing and some of the principal non-manufacturing industries, 5s. 11d. on the single person's rate of 80s. This reflects the position up to October, 1966, the latest date for which such average earnings figures are available.
§ Mr. DeanWill the right hon. Lady bear in mind that prices have risen more than average earnings since pensions and and other benefits were last increased? Will she take into account this decline in the standard of living in her forthcoming legislation?
§ Miss HerbisonCertainly we take all these things into account—increases in earnings, and increases in cost of living. I am sure that the hon. Member will be very happy to know that even today the present pension has a better purchasing power than at any time during the 13 years of Tory rule.