§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensioners he estimates are entitled to claim benefits to supplement their pension; and how many do claim.
§ Mr. NewtonEstimates based on the 1979 family expenditure survey suggest that at that time about 65 per cent. of people entitled to a supplementary pension claimed it. No later figures are presently available. At August 1982 almost 1.8 million retirement pensioners were receiving a supplementary pension.