Retirement Pension (Hansard, 14 January 1993)

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to alter the relationship between the level of retirement pension and the cost of living.

§ Miss Widdecombe
The retirement pension is statutorily uprated each year in line with the movement in prices. We have no plans to alter this.

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to make the retirement pension a means-tested benefit.

§ Miss Widdecombe
None.

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to remedy the situation referred to by the social security commissioners in decisions CIS/587/90 and CSIS/78/92 whereby a retirement pensioner previously receiving an invalidity pension is deprived of the higher pensioner premium if he or she reached retirement pension age before 11 April 1988.

§ Mr. Burt
The rules discussed in the decisions quoted are intended to ensure that a person who was receiving the premium because he had invalidity pension did not suffer a reduction in income as a result of taking retirement pension. The premium continues provided he remains in receipt of the relevant income-related benefit. The regulations fully reflect this policy. It was never the intention that a person who had already ceased to receive invalidity benefit when the relevant income-related benefit was claimed should qualify for the premium. We have no plans to change this policy.