HC Deb 20 February 1975 vol 886 c509W
Mrs. Wise

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensioners claim supplementary pension.

Mr. Alec Jones

As at November last about 2,047,000 retirement pensioners were receiving supplementary benefit. This figure includes wives entitled to retirement pensions on their husbands' insurance and also national insurance widow beneficiaries over pension age and constitutes about 25.4 per cent. of the total number of retirement pensioners at that time.