§ Sir Ian GilmourTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of the number of old-age pensioners who receive(a) no national insurance pension and (b) less than the full amount of national insurance pension because their contribution record is incomplete, distinguishing between single pensioners, married pensioners where the wife only has category B pension and married pensioners where both spouses have been in paid work; and if he will give an indication of the age levels of those affected.
§ Mr. Peter LloydIn 1987–88 there were approximately 95,000 people of pensionable age not in receipt of national insurance retirement pension and in receipt of supplementary pension1.
Statistics do not give the breakdown between single and married pensioners in receipt of retirement pension. The table shows numbers of pensioners according to category and age, who are in receipt of less than 100 per cent. full basic retirement pension.
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§ Sir David PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the current rate of supplement to the basic rate of retirement pension for those aged 80 years and above if that supplement had been indexed to the cost of living since its introduction in 1971; and what would be the annual cost of adopting such a rate.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe current rate of age addition for pensioners aged 80 and over, if uprated in line with prices since its introduction, would be £1.29. The annual cost of adopting this rate would be approximately £130 million. This represents additional expenditure of approximately £105 million.
§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will bring forward proposals to give equal treatment in respect of the retirement pension to pensioners with earned income to those with unearned or investment income.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe have no plans to do so. The earnings rule is a test of retirement and therefore applies only to income from work.