§ Mr. Rooker asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensioners are not yet receiving their full pension entitlement due to the industrial action in his Department; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Rossi:I regret that the information is not centrally available. The backlog of accumulated claims for those people who retired after 6 July 1981 is being cleared by local offices as a matter of priority, and it is estimated that the great majority of interim awards will be finalised before Christmas. I am glad to say that the normal procedure of sending out invitations to claim retirement pensions four months in advance of retirement date is once more in operation.