§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the smallest (a) weekly and (b) monthly sums paid by way of graduated pension benefit; how many beneficiaries are receiving an amount of £1 per week or less; what is the estimated administrative cost of each payment, including postage; and whether he will provide an option for those entitled to receive very small graduated pensions to receive instead a capital sum, or to make such payments at less frequent intervals.
§ Mr. PrenticeGraduated pension is normally payable as part of a pensioner's flat rate basic retirement pension. I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the small minority of cases where a person is entitled to graduated pension alone. The smallest regular weekly payment of graduated pension on its own596W is 15p. Smaller amounts are now paid quarterly. Apart from a negligible number of four-weekly paid cases which have not yet been converted to quarterly payments, the smallest regular four-weekly payment is therefore 60p. However we intend to move towards less frequent payments where the pension is less than £1.00 a week.
In April 1980, the latest date for which figures are available, 130,000 people were receiving graduated pension on its own of an amount less than £1.00.
In November 1979, the latest date for which figures are available, the cost of payment by weekly order book—of whatever amount—including postage, staff and stationery costs, computer time and encashment charges was £13.00 per annum.