§ Mr. Hicksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost to the revenue of abolishing the earnings rule for persons in work of retirement age.
§ Mr. PrenticeEstimates of the cost to central Government funds of abolishing the earnings rule for retirement pensioners were contained in the report on the earnings rule presented to Parliament by the previous Administration in October 1978. However, we are reconsidering the assumptions on which those estimates were based. I regret, therefore, that up-to-date figures are not available.