§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services for each of the next four years what is included under the heading, other, in table 2.17 of the White Paper, Public Expenditure to 1975–76, Command Paper No. 4829.
§ Mr. DeanThe main items, with the estimated costs in 1971–72 (a half-year) and in the later years, are: Improvement of about 3 per cent. in the real value of benefits compared with their 1969 level (£45½ million and £85 million); invalidity allowance and other improvements for the chronic sick (£12½ million and £23½ million); age addition for retirement pensioners over 80 and extension of old persons' pensions (£11 million and £20 million, declining to £18½ million). There were also various minor improvements in national insurance, supplementary benefit and war pensions carried through at the uprating.
I regret that the figure for 1972–73 should be £130.6 million (not £.140.6 million as stated) and that for "estimating changes" £42.6 million (not £32.6 million as stated).