§ 24. Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he expects at the next review of retirement pensions that it will be possible to reduce the period between the announcement and the first payment of the new rates.
§ Sir K. JosephThe procedures are at present being reviewed by a working party under the chairmanship of Mr. R. A. Meyjes, the leader of the business men's team in the Civil Service Department. But the uprating of millions of pensions with other benefits is an immense task and there can be no certainty that any significant reduction in the period will prove practicable.
§ 25. Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received concerning the payment of graduated pension contributions by monthly paid workers during September, 1971; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DeanSome 170 representations have been received that remuneration earned before 21st September should not attract the new rate of contribution. I have also met a deputation from the National and Local Government Officers Association and the National Union of Teachers. As we have said in reply to the representations made, the assessment rules have to apply the principle that liability for graduated contributions is determined by the date remuneration is paid and not the period during which it is earned.
§ 37. Mr. Awdryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what number of widows between 40 and 50 years of age arc now drawing a widow's pension.
§ Mr. Dean94,000 widows who were aged 40–49 when their husband's died or their widowed mother's allowance ceased are now drawing a widow's pension. It is estimated that about 40,000 of these widows are currently between ages of 40 and 50.
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§ 50. Mr. John D. Grantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of those who received the recent increase in their retirement pensions at the same time received a reduction in the supplementary pension awards.
§ Mr. DeanIt is not possible to give an exact figure but the great majority of the 1,788,000 supplementary pensioners were affected. The same happened in 1967 and 1969.
§ 51. Sir B. Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people forfeited their rights to benefit from their employers' contributions to their occupational pension funds during the 12 months to the most recent convenient date; and how many of these were people changing their employment on account of redundancy.
§ Sir K. JosephIn the Government Actuary Survey published in 1966 it was estimated that about 90 per cent. of the members who left before pension age derived no benefit from their employer's contributions; in about one-third of the cases this was because they had preferred to withdraw their own contributions. I can make no estimate of the proportion made redundant.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the loss of purchasing power of the basic retirement pension since the 1969 increase; and how soon he expects the 1971 increase to have been cancelled out by rising prices.
§ Sir K. JosephAs measured by the movement in the General Index of Retail Prices the loss in purchasing power of the £5 retirement pension between November, 1969 and September, 1971 was 71p. This loss was more than restored by the September increase. I am not prepared to make forecasts about future price movements.