HC Deb 30 June 1969 vol 786 cc18-20
43. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of retirement pensioners and of other recipients of Social Security payments who next November will not receive as a net addition to their incomes the full increases proposed in the Budget Statement.

Mr. Ennals

As the right hon. Gentleman will recall from the days when he had responsibility for these matters, this will depend, to take the main factors, on the numbers with supplementary benefit, or with less than the standard rate of insurance benefit or with a liability to income tax, and on the extent to which these categories overlap.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Does the hon. Gentleman dispute that the number is likely to be of the order of 2 million? To minimise disappointment among a large number of people next November, will he so arrange any advance publicity to make it clear in advance that substantial numbers will not benefit by the advertised figures?

Mr. Ennals

The arrangements for increases in supplementary benefit have been made widely known. They will be made more widely known when the Regulations are debated on Thursday. I will ensure by means of publicity that it is understood that the recipients of supplementary benefit received an increase last October.

Mr. Marks

In addition to giving publicity to those facts, will my hon. Friend also give publicity to the fact that those on supplementary benefit have had an increase every year since this Government came in and that those on the standard rate of pension have had one every two years? This means that persons on supplementary benefit will have had an increase of 70 per cent. in five years.

Mr. Ennals

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I can confirm this. I was surprised that the right hon. Gentleman put down the Question, because at one time, when he was Minister, over a two-year period when the level was raised for National Insurance the level for National Assistance was not increased to the same extent, so the National Assistance recipient did very badly indeed.