Pensioners (Hansard, 11 November 1991)

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals his Department were unable to trace to tell them they could make up their contributions to claim a full pension.

§ Mr. Jack
The responsibility for tracing individuals for contributions purposes is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost to the Treasury of the additional claims for mortgage interest payments from those pensioners who will be entitled to claim income support as a result of the uprating statement; and how many individuals will be able to claim such payments.

§ Miss Widdecombe
[holding answer 5 November 1991]: We estimate that fewer than 5,000 pensioners with a mortgage could become entitled to claim income support as a result of the uprating statement. The extra cost to the Treasury is negligible.
399W

§ Mr. Rowe
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money the Government received from pensioners through deductions from their pensions occasioned by stays in hospital longer than six weeks in each year since 1988–89.

§ Miss Widdecombe
The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many low income pensioners are expected to gain from the measures in the uprating statement.

§ Miss Widdecombe
The proposed uprating income support by a full 7 per cent. from next April will give increases substantially above the current level of inflation to around 3.5 million low-income pensioners where the claimant or partner is aged 60 or over.
Furthermore, there will be rises in addition to the uprating increase for older and disabled pensioners who receive the higher pensioner premium. Couples will get £1.50 per week extra and single claimants £1.00. This measure alone will add £60 million in a full year to the help available to low-income pensioners.
The income support limits for residential care and nursing homes are also to be increased by £15 in nearly all cases. This rise is significantly greater than inflation and represents additional funding of £200 million per year.
As a result of the proposed uprating it is expected that up to 400,000 people will become newly eligible to claim income support and the majority of these are likely to be pensioners.