§ Mr. Hordernasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will show the level of the state pension, as a proportion of average earnings, for a widow aged 70 years at the latest convenient date, and at 1 January 1980, 1 January 1970, and 1 January 1960, respectively.
§ Dr. BoysonComparison of social security benefit rates with average earnings can only meaningfully be made at uprating dates. This is reflected in the attached table:
Basic retirement pension for a single person expressed as a percentage of average earnings Uprating date (a) Male manual workers Per cent. (b) All male workers Per cent. January 1958 19.8 * April 1961 19.1 * November 1969 20.0 * November 1979 22.5 20.4 November 1983 †23.0 †19.7 * Not available. † Provisional.