§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the interim conclusion of the Inter-ministerial Group on Older People presented to him in July. [57900]
§ The Prime MinisterWe value the positive contribution that older people make to our society and believe that their skills and experience should be utilised to the fullest extent.
As well as boosting NHS funding and tackling crime, specific measures the Government have announced to improve the lives of pensioners include:
- From April 1999 a minimum income guarantee of at least £75 per week for single pensioners and £116.60 per week for couples;
- VAT on domestic fuel cut to the lowest possible level of 5 per cent.;
- free eye tests for all pensioners;
- concessionary travel across the country; and
- introduced winter fuel payments which provide extra help to over 7 million pensioner households towards their heaviest fuel bill.
We are also determined to ensure that the enormous contribution made to our national life by older people is 599W properly recognised and that their concerns are fully represented in policy making. I am very pleased with the progress made so far by the Inter-Ministerial Group. It has identified three priority themes: productive aging (practical measures to help older people remain active through work); care (including the health care-housing interface and transport); and consultation and involvement with older people themselves. The new Performance and Innovation Unit which I announced on 28 July 1998, Official Report, columns 133–34, now being set up in the Cabinet Office, will consider productive aging as one of their first projects.
The Inter-Ministerial Group is planning to hold a seminar with a wide range of groups later this month to discuss the key themes in more depth. It has also commissioned research into the attitudes and aspirations of older people.