§ 46. Mr. Tylerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will consider the feasibility of extending the 71W threshold principle for cost-of-living rises to periodic increases in pensions.
§ Mr. O'MalleySince it takes an appreciable period of time to uprate pensions, it would be impracticable to apply the threshold arrangements to them in the same way as those arrangements are applied to wages. The uprating this month will, however, give pensioners their largest increase in real income since the start of the scheme, and future up-ratings will be linked to increases in average national earnings.