§ 89. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of National Insurance to state, to the last convenient date, how many men and women, respectively, are in receipt of retiring pensions; what is the total annual cost to the State of these pensions, respectively; and what is his estimate of the additional annual cost to the State of giving men retiring pensions at the age at which women now receive retiring pensions.
§ Mr. PeakeThere were about 1,400,000 men and 2,700,000 women retirement pensioners on 31st December, 1951. The present cost of retirement pensions is rather more than £300 million a year, of which about £190 million is paid to women. The information asked for in the last part of the Question is not available.