22. Mr. Andy StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much additional money he plans to spend on poorer pensioners.
§ Mr. ScottThe package of help for poorer pensioners that we announced on 24 November 1988 will cost an additional amount of almost £100 million in 1989–90 and almost £200 million in a full year.
§ 40. Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people will benefit from the new scheme for pensioners announced on 24 November.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe estimate that 2.6 million individuals will benefit from the new scheme for pensioners.
§ 46. Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what he is doing to help poorer pensioners.
§ Mr. Peter LloydIt is proposed that income support and housing benefit paid to pensioners will be restructured from October 1989. There will be new premiums for pensioners aged 75 and over, 80 and over and disabled pensioners. These new premiums will give single pensioners currently on income support an extra £2.50 a week, and couples an extra £3.50 a week over and above the increases announced for the April uprating.
Those pensioners with incomes above income support levels but receiving housing benefit will also benefit.
§ 60. Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of people whose income places them above the qualifying level for income support, who will benefit from the recent pensions announcement targeting extra help on poorer pensioners.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe estimate that around 1 million people whose incomes will be above income support levels before the changes will benefit from them. This figure reflects the estimated impact on the community charge benefit system. The numbers benefiting from the changes in October 1989 will be slightly lower than this final figure, reflecting the fact that the community charge will be only partially introduced and that projections for rate rebate caseload are lower than that for community charge benefit.