§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the percentage increase since 1979 in the real value of(a) retirement pension, (b) invalidity benefit and (c) widows' pension; and if he will give the latest figures for the numbers of people receiving each benefit.
§ Miss WiddecombeBasic retirement pension, invalidity benefit and widows pension have each increased by 2.8 per cent., in real terms, after allowing for inflation between the two complete uprating years ending November 1979 and April 1990.
The estimated average numbers of people, in thousands, in receipt of these benefits at any one time are in the table.
'000 Retirement pension 10,000 Invalidity benefit 1,209 Widows' pension 285 Note: The figures in the table are for Great Britain and are rounded to the nearest thousand; the source is "DSS Statistics". The retirement pension figure is based based on March 1991 data. The invalidity benefit figure is based on March 1990 data. The widows' pension figure is based on September 1990 data.