§ Mr. Christopher Hawkinsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether (a) retirement pensions and (b) other social security benefits will be raised to cover the proposed minimum contribution to rates or the proposed community charge.
§ Mr. NewtonIt would be inappropriate to raise retirement pensions for this reason, since around half of retirement pensioners do not now receive any help with their rates. So far as income-related benefits are concerned, my right hon. Friend has made it clear that the proposed social security structure will need to be developed in the light of discussions on the recent Green Paper on local government finance.