§ Baroness ROBSON of KIDDINGTONasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people having voluntarily retired before the age of 65 and in receipt of a full occupational pension are at present receiving unemployment benefit, and at what cost to the country.
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEThe latest available information about the numbers of occupational pensioners receiving unemployment benefit comes from a Department of Employment survey which showed that in July 1976 about 50,000 men aged 55–64 and perhaps 1,000 women aged 55–60 were in receipt of an occupational pension and unemployment benefit or supplementary allowance. I regret that information is not available about the numbers who had retired voluntarily or about the amounts of benefit being paid.