§ 46. Mrs. Doris Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider introducing legislation to provide equal retiring ages for men and women.
§ Sir K. JosephNo. To reduce the minimum pension age for men would cause a massive increase in the cost of pensions and therefore in the contributions by which they are largely financed. To raise the pension age for women would discriminate against single women, since the joint benefit of a married couple is generally the same whether or not the wife has reached pension age.