Pensions and Benefits

HC Deb 22 November 1973 vol 864 cc498-9W

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the fact that on 17th November 1973 official figures were published showing that egg prices have risen by 86 per cent. during the present year, fish by 39 per cent., meat by 32 per cent., bacon and ham by 46 per cent., frozen fish by 24 per cent., margarine by 21 per cent. canned meats by 17 per cent., that 549 recent price increases in food have been recorded, that a loaf of bread is now 12½p, if he will propose increasing retirement pensions and all welfare benefits forthwith by 25 per cent.

Mr. Dean

No. Social security benefits were raised last month and the increase in retirement pensions substantially exceeded the increase in the General Index of Retail Prices over the period October 1972 to October 1973. The general index provides a more appropriate measure than the individual items mentioned by the hon. Member. In addition, this month the Government are making a special lum sum payment of £10—£20 for a married couple—to retirement pensioners and other qualified beneficiaries over pensionable age.

Mr. Meacher

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many widows are currently in receipt of an industrial accident pension in addition to their normal widow's pension; what is the average value of this pension; and what were the comparable figures 5, 10, 15 and 20 years ago.

Mr. Dean

The standard widow's pension payable where death has been due to an industrial injury is in substitution for and not additional to the normal national insurance widow's pension. The following table shows the number of widows receiving this preferential industrial widow's pension and the prevailing rates at the dates requested:

		£
1953	7,528	1.85
1958	14,352	2.80
1963	20,309	3.75
1968	24,257	5.05
1973	26,700 (estimated)	8.30

Mr. Roper

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he plans to propose linking pensions to the national retail price index or to the national wage rate index, as is already the case in seven of the other eight countries of the EEC.

Sir K. Joseph

I would refer the hon. Member to the provisions of the Social Security Act 1973 for the annual reviews of benefits. Since 1948 the level of retirement pension has in fact broadly kept pace with the rise in the gross average earnings of adult male manual workers and has exceeded the rise in their net earnings.