§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will seek powers to ensure that the £10 for retirement pensioners at Christmas will be free of all tax.
§ Mr. Alec JonesSection 1(5) of the Pensioners' Payments Act 1974 already provides that the £10 payment shall be disregarded for all purposes of income tax.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is her estimate of the cost of extending the £10 Christmas bonus to persons receiving supplementary benefit, unemployment benefit and sickness benefit, respectively.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThe cost of extending the bonus payment to persons under pension age receiving supplementary allowances and to all persons receiving unemployment benefit and sickness benefit would depend upon the precise number entitled to receive those benefits, without another qualifying benefit, for the relevant week. It might be of the order of £7 million, £2½ million and £4½ million in respect of supplementary allowances, unemployment benefit and sickness benefit, respectively.