§ Mr. STEPHENasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated cost of providing old age pensions at the present rates to all persons who reach the age of 60 years and the number of persons who would benefit thereby?
§ Mr. BALDWINThere are no means of estimating the number of persons between the ages of 60 and 70 who would be disqualified on the ground of means, or entitled to reduced pensions only on the same ground, if the pension age were reduced to 60. If it be assumed that the cost of pensions to persons over 70 affords a reliable index to the effect of these limitations in respect of people over 60, the full cost would be about £58,000,000 and the number of recipients over 2,300,000.