§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the total cost to the Exchequer in 1975–76 and 1976–77 of increases in excess of the £6 and £4 pay limits paid to (a) Civil Service and other public sector pensioners, (b) recipients of long-term national insurance benefits, (c) recipients of short-term national insurance benefits and (d) recipients of supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonDetailed information for all public service pensioners is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, for Civil Service pensioners it is estimated that a saving of some £8 million in 1975–76 and£5 million in 1976–77 would have resulted if the 1975 and 1976 increases had been restricted to £6 and £4 respectively.
None of the personal rates of social security benefits increased by more than £6 at the November 1975 uprating and none will increase by more than £4 at 1976. The increase paid to particular recipients will depend on family circumstances and consequent entitlement to dependency benefits, and the information on benefit entitlement necessary to estimate the size of such increases is not available.