§ 7. Mr. G. Thomasasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will state the basis on which he calculates that a basic retirement pension rate of £2 10s. per week would cost £570 million.
§ Mr. TurtonOn the assumption that everyone over minimum pension age received an unconditional pension of £2 10s. a week, the immediate cost would be about £900 million a year, which is £570 million more than the anticipated cost of retirement pensions this year.
§ 8. Mr. G. Thomasasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what estimate he has made of the number of persons registered as being of pensionable age but who are not in receipt of a retirement pension.
§ Mr. TurtonJust over 2½ million.