72. Mr. W. T. Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensioners were in receipt of supplementary benefits at the last convenient date; how these numbers compare with the situation in November, 1969; and what percentage, respectively, these constitute of the total number of persons in receipt of retirement pensions on these dates.
§ Mr. DeanIn August, 1970, the last month for which information is available, and also in November, 1969, about two million retirement pensioners were receiving a supplement to their pension. This figure, which includes about one-third of a million wives whose requirements are taken into account in assessing their 325W husband's supplementary pension, represents 27.2 and 27.7 per cent., respectively, of the total number of persons receiving retirement pensions on those dates.