§ 1. Sir B. Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to extend to men entitled to pension under the National Insurance system the option to retire at the age of 60 years with appropriate modification of the rate of benefit.
§ Sir B. Rhys WilliamsWould not this be the ideal solution for occupational pensioners withdrawing from employment at 60?
§ Mr. EnnalsI think that it would be wrong in principle to have a different age of retirement for people according to different professions. At this stage to take any action which would encourage people who normally stay at work until 65 to retire much earlier would not be in the country's economic interests.
§ Dr. SummerskillWill my hon. Friend consider having the same age of retirement for men and women, at 65, in view of the fact that the expectation of life of us all is increasing, and also that women live longer than men?
§ Mr. EnnalsI greatly admire my hon. Friend's approach. In the discussions which followed the publication of the White Paper on the new scheme a number of women's organisations recommended that there should be this common age. I think we must recognise that there would have been a great deal of 994 opposition to this. There is also the social consideration, that usually a woman is some years younger than her husband, and there is a case for having at least a slightly younger age for women.