§ Mr. Neaveasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will introduce regulations to allow contributions paid by a man after retirement to be taken into account in assessing the increments to his wife's retirement pension whatever her age.
§ Mr. EnnalsI assume that the hon. Member has in mind contributions paid by a man of pension age who is deferring his retirement. These do, of course, earn increments to the pension payable to his wife on his insurance if they are paid for weeks after she has reached pensionable age.
160WThe question whether any such contributions paid for weeks before the wife reaches pensionable age should also count for increments to her pension has already been considered sympathetically and in very great detail by the National Insurance Advisory Committee, and I do not dissent from the Committee's conclusion in its Report on the Question of Pension Increments for Wives and Widows, published in June, 1961 (Cmnd. 1384), that the age limit should not be abolished.