§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many supplementary pensioners (a) currently receive (i) higher rate and (ii) lower rate heating additions and (b) will receive from 26 November (i) higher rate and (ii) lower rate heating additions; and how many in each category will lose money due to the increase in the available scale margin.
§ Dr. BoysonWe estimate that at present just over 1 million supplementary pensioners receive heating additions at the basic rate of £2.05 and just over 500,000 receive heating additions at the higher rates. From November it is estimated that about 950,000 pensioners80W will receive basic rate heating additions at £2.10 and that about 580,000 pensioners will receive heating additions at the higher rates. All these claimants will be affected by the changes in the available scale margin, but they will all gain in cash terms at the uprating. Indeed, about 170,000 supplementary pensioners will be better off in real terms because of the new automatic heating additions which will be payable to householders aged 65 or over, at £2.10 a week, and to those aged 85 or over, at £5.20 a week.