§ Mr. Spenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will compare and contrast the social services and other benefits available to a male married pensioner over 65 years with those avail- 188W able to a male married chronically sick person under 65 years; and if she will make a statement;
(2) if she will compare and contrast the social services and other benefits available to a married male pensioner over 65 years with those available to a married male chronically sick person under 65 years, whose wife's earnings of £4.50 per week disbar him from supplementary benefit; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThe main benefit payable to a male pensioner over 65 is retirement pension. Graduated pension may also be payable and, where the pensioner is over 80, age addition. The benefit normally payable to a person under 65, who has been incapable of work through sickness for six months or more, is invalidity pension, which is at the same rate as standard rate retirement pension. Increases for a wife and other dependants are payable with both pensions.
Attendance allowance and invalidity allowance are payable to both categories of pensioner subject to the satisfaction of the relevant conditions.
Supplementary benefit is available to both categories; the higher requirement levels for long-term beneficiaries apply to people over pension age, and also to sick people under pension age after they have received supplementary benefit for two years. The first £2 a week of any earnings of the wife of a supplementary benefit claimant—to be increased to £4 a week under proposals in the Social Security Benefits Bill now before Parliament—are disregarded. A claimant whose wife earned £4.50 a week would, therefore, be precluded from receiving supplementary benefit only if the earnings taken into account brought the couple's other resources up to a level which equalled or exceeded their requirements as calculated for supplementary benefit purposes.
A man aged 65 or over and a woman aged 60 or over are exempt from prescription charges. Younger persons may, however, qualify for exemption if certain conditions are satisfied. Remission of other NHS charges depends, in general, on income levels, not age.
I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the booklet "Family Benefits and Pensions" published by the Department which is a useful guide to a wide range of benefits.