§ Mr. D. Priceasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what was the total number of persons of pensionable age at the latest convenient date; and how many of these were eligible for an old-age pension.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIt is estimated that the total number of persons over pensionable age at 30th June, 1957, was about 7,220,000. Of these about 4,710,000 were drawing National Insurance retirement pensions; about a further million have prospective rights to such pensions when they retire, reach age 70 (or 65 for women), or qualify as late age entrants this July, as the case may be. In addition, 243,000 people were in receipt of non-contributory old-age pensions.
§ Mr. D. Priceasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what it would now cost to give every person of pensionable age an old-age pension of £3 a week, and to give every person eligible for an old-age pension £3 a week.
156W
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe immediate extra cost of paying everyone of pensionable age a pension of £3 a week would be about £550 million a year. To increase the rate of retirement pensions, including pensions for wives, to £3 would cost about £180 million a year immediately. These figures assume that the rates of other benefits remain unchanged.