§ 9. Mr. Leonardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total weekly national insurance retirement pension, flat-rate and graduated combined, that a man aged 65 years of age, earning £25 a week and having earned approximately the national average male industrial wage throughout his working life, retiring on 1st November, 1970, would receive; and what is his estimate of the weekly pension paid to a man with the same earnings retiring on the same date in each of the European Economic Community and European Free Trade Area countries and in the United States of America, from information available to him from international sources.
§ Mr. DeanThe retirement pension of such a man, not contracted out of the graduated pension scheme, would be £5 flat-rate plus 13s. 6d. graduated, total £5 13s. 6d. No estimate can be made for Belgium, France, Sweden or the Federal Republic of Germany because, under the rules for calculating pensions in those countries, the insured person's earnings are revalued year by year to take account of changes in a price index or increases in average earnings. In Denmark and Norway the pension age is higher than 65.
The following table gives the estimated rates of pension for the other countries.
£ †Austria 19 Finland 11 †Italy 19 †Luxembourg 21 The Netherlands 9 †Portugal 11 *Switzerland 5 United States of America 10 † In these countries there is no increase for the pensioner's wife and no separate pension for her. * Most of the Cantons provide supplementary pensions.
§ 65. Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will introduce a two-yearly review of retirement pensions.
§ Sir K. JosephYes.
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79. Mr. Bob Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensioners are in receipt of supplementary benefits in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in Newburn urban district at the latest available date.
§ Mr. DeanJust under 20,000 at 18th August, 1970, excluding wives, in receipt of retirement pension, of men who are drawing supplementary benefit.
§ Mrs. Sally Oppenheimasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to provide an early increase in the retirement pension with no subsequent loss of any supplementary benefits that are already being received.
§ Mr. DeanNo. The rates of retirement pension will be reviewed next year, in accordance with our pledge to review them every two years. Supplementary benefits will be reviewed at the same time, but in the meantime, as my hon. Friend is aware, the rates have just gone up and these increases will naturally have to be taken into account in next year's review.