HC Deb 19 October 1998 vol 317 cc948-9
11. Mr. Steve Webb (Northavon)

When he plans to publish the results of his pensions review. [53482]

19. Mr. Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale, West)

When the Green Paper on pensions will be published. [53492]

The Minister of State for Social Security (Mr. John Denham)

At the risk of repetition, as set out in our Green Paper on welfare reform, we will publish a Green Paper on pensions later this year. There will then be a period of further consultation before final proposals are developed.

Mr. Webb

When the Green Paper is finally published, will it drop the absurd pretence that the Government are guaranteeing pensioners £75 a week? Does the Minister recall writing to me during the summer and admitting that, even when the so-called guarantee is in place, half a million pensioners with weekly incomes below £75 a week will not get a penny from the so-called guarantee?

Mr. Denham

The hon. Gentleman might have done more to welcome the fact that income support will increase in April by three times the normal uprating. That means that the guaranteed minimum income, subject to the usual assessment, will be £75 a week for a single pensioner and £116.60 for a couple. That will be coupled with action to bring that benefit to pensioners who do not yet claim it, but who are entitled to it. No Government have taken action previously in that form and on this scale, and the hon. Gentleman might have welcomed our initiative.

Mr. Brady

The hon. Gentleman has repeatedly suggested that the Green Paper is on schedule and that it will be produced by the end of the year as originally planned. However, on 15 December last year, at column 11 of Hansard, the Minister committed himself to publishing the Green Paper in the first half of this year. As he is now already at least four months behind schedule, will he now commit himself to publishing the paper within the next month?

Mr. Denham

We shall publish the Green Paper later this year. The hon. Gentleman should accept that we have inherited major problems from the previous Administration, including that of the large number of pensioners who do not receive the income support to which they are entitled. The previous Government refused even to admit the existence of that problem, let alone address it.