§ Mr. Hollandasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total annual cost of fees, allowances and/or salaries paid to individuals, other than civil servants, appointed by her to bodies other than committees.
§ Mr. MeacherAbout £2⅓ million.
People of Pensionable Age Retirement Pensioners* Date Number (thousands) Percentage of total population Number (thousands) Percentage of total population 1976 … … … … 9,558 17.0 8,198 14.6 1986 … … … … 9,914 17.4 8,885 15.6 1996 … … … … 9,693 16.4 8,979 15.2 * Excludes those in receipt of old persons' pensions and certain widows and invalidity pensioners over pensionable age.
§ Mr. David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services on an actuarial calculation, assuming 5 per cent. interest, what proportion of the current standard retirement pension for a single man is covered by his own contributions; what proportion by his employer's contributions; and how the remaining proportion is covered, on the basis that the man in question has an average of 50 flat-rate national insurance contributions a year since the scheme started in 1948, has also paid the maximum graduated contributions and retires today on his 65th birthday.
§ Mr. MeacherAllowing for increases in the flat-rate pension in line with the general level of earnings and for increases in the graduated pension in line with prices from 1978 the value of the man's own contributions is about 17 per cent. of the value of his retirement pension and the value of his employer's contributions is