§ 21. Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to introduce legislation to make retirement pension increases payable from the date of their announcement.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. It is the Government's duty to determine the appropriate new rates for retirement pensions and other benefits and the date from which they are to be paid. An announcement of the new rates has then to be made early enough before the uprating date to allow for the necessary legislation and administrative arrangements. The question of making the increase payable from the date of announcement does not therefore arise.