§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost in a full year at 1987–88 rates of (a) increasing the state pension by £5 per week for single and £8 for married persons, respectively, and (b) increasing supplementary benefits for pensioners between mid-December and the end of March by £5 per week to cover fuel bills.
§ Mr. MajorThe estimated cost(a) of increasing the state pension (retirement, invalidity and widow's pension, supplementary pension and the linked needs allowance for housing benefit) by £5 a week for single and £8 a week for married persons would be £2.7 billion in a full year, (b) of paying £5 a week between mid-December and the end of March to those pensioners currently receiving supplementary benefit would be £150 million; there could also be a substantial extra cost in respect of other pensioners who would then become entitled to supplementary pension during the winter months.