§ Mr. Pounderasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) what is the estimated number of widows in Great Britain under 50 years of age who would benefit from an abolition of the 50 year entitlement age for a pension;
(2) what is the current cost of providing widows with a pension entitlement at the age of 50 years;
(3) what would be the estimated additional cost of providing widows with a pension entitlement at the age of 45 years instead of at 50 years as at present;
(4) what would be the estimated additional cost of providing widows with a pension entitlement at the age of 40 years instead of at 50 years as at present;
(5) what is the estimated number of widows in Great Britain in the 45–50 age group who would benefit from a reduction in the entitlement age for a pension from 50 years to 45 years;
(6) what is the estimated number of widows in Great Britain in the 40–50 age
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§ 91. Mr. Turtonasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if she will state in tabular form the increases in retirement pensions and dependants' allowances that have been made since July, 1948, the dates of the increases and the percentages of the former scales represented by the increases, respectively; and what are the percentage increases proposed under the present Bill.
§ Miss HerbisonFollowing are the figures:
group who would benefit from a reduction in the entitlement age for a pension from 50 years to 40 years;
(7) what would be the estimated additional cost of providing widows with a pension entitlement at any age instead of at 50 years as at present.
§ Miss HerbisonTaking into account the proposals now before the House, expenditure on all widows' benefits in 1965–66 is estimated at £133 million. The substitution of an age condition of 45 for the present age condition of 50, leaving all other conditions unaltered, would increase the cost to the Fund by approximately £10 million a year, benefiting 60,000 widows; substituting an age condition of 40 would result in increased expenditure of £16 million a year, benefiting 90,000 widows; without an age condition the amount would be £19 million a year and the number of widows benefiting 110,000. These figures take account of all widows under 60 who would become eligible for pensions on these assumptions, including those who have passed the age of 50.