§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many employed retirement pensioners have, as a result of the operation of the earnings rule, been subject to a reduction of their pension entitlement of, respectively, 1–25 per cent., 26–50 per cent., 51–75 per cent., 76–99 per cent., and 100 per cent., for each year since 1960; and what is estimated to be the cost of abolishing the rule now.
§ Mr. DeanDetailed yearly statistics are not available but at any time only about 20,000 pensioners—that is, roughly one in every 400 pensioners—have their retirement pensions downrated or extinguished by the operation of the earnings rule. The cost of abolishing the earnings rule and the retirement condition which it supports is estimated to be about £135 million in the first year at current benefit rates.