§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will include a review of graduated pensions, earned up to April, 1975, in his proposed general and regular reviews of basic pensions.
§ Sir K. JosephNo. When the graduated scheme was introduced, the Government gave an undertaking that employees who were contracted out would not be made worse off as a result. It would not be consistent with that undertaking to amend the scheme now to enable graduated pensions to be revalued since there could be no guarantee that the occupational pensions of those contracted out would be increased correspondingly.