HC Deb 14 December 1994 vol 251 cc670-3W
Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men and (b) women aged over 65 years who qualified for a state pension based on their own contributions did not qualify for the full rate of state pension; and what proportion those figures represent of the total of (i) men, (ii) women and (iii) men and women in receipt of state pension.

Mr. Arbuthnot

The information is in the table.

  • £9.53 for women aged 60 to 64 years
  • £14.12 for men aged 65 to 69 years

Notes:

  1. 1. Figures do not include—
    1. (a) women aged 60 to 64 and men aged 65 to 69 receiving additional pension as a component of invalidity pension,
    2. (b) women aged 60 to 64 receiving additional pension as a component of widow's benefit,
      3. 671
    3. (c) women aged 60 to 64 and men aged 65 to 69 whose entitlement to additional pension is fully extinguished by a contracted-out deduction arising from membership of a contracted-out occupational pension scheme or an approved personal pension scheme,
    4. (d) persons with no entitlement to additional pension.
  2. 2. Figures are for persons resident in Great Britain.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of(a) men aged 65 years and (b) women aged 60 years received a state earnings-related pension at the latest available date.

Mr. Arbuthnot

At 31 March 1994, the latest date in respect of which information is available, 71.8 per cent. of men aged 65 and 35.2 per cent. of women aged 60 were in receipt of additional pension payable as a component of state retirement pension.

Notes:

  1. 1. Figures do not include—
    1. (a) women aged 60 and men aged 65 receiving additional pension as a component of invalidity pension,
    2. (b) women aged 60 receiving additional pension as a component of widows benefit,
    3. (c) women aged 60 and men aged 65 whose entitlement to additional pension is fully extinguished by a contracted-out deduction arising from membership of a contracted-out occupational pension scheme or an approved personal pension scheme.
  2. 2. Figures are for persons resident in Great Britain.
  3. 3. Population figures used are Government Actuary's Department 1992 based estimates.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men aged 65 years and over and

Column 1 Total number of women receiving standard rate Category A, B, B(L) or A/B(L) retirement pension Column 2 Figure at column 1 as a percentage of the total female population Column 3 Figure at column 1 as a percentage of the total female population aged 60 and over Column 4 Figure at column 1 as a percentage of total number of women in receipt of state pension
5,328,920 18.4 per cent. 78.8 per cent. 87.0 per cent.

Notes:

Columns 1 and 4:

—figures are for 31 March 1994, the latest date in respect of which information is available, for persons resident in Great Britain.

— "State retirement pension" means a contributory retirement pension, a non-contributory retirement pension or graduated retirement benefit.

— Category A retirement pension is based on the woman's own national insurance contributions.

— Category B retirement pension is payable to a widow and is based on her late husband's national insurance contributions.

— Category B(L) retirement pension is paid to a married woman and is based on her husband's national insurance contributions.

— Category A/13(L) retirement pension is payable to a married woman and is based on both her own and her husband's national insurance contributions.

Columns 2 and 3—population figures are Government Actuary's Department 1992 based estimates.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women who retired at age 60 years during the latest year for which figures are available received pensions based(a) wholly and (b) partly on the husband's national insurance contribution

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Column 6 Column 7 Column 8 Column 9 Column 10 Column 11
Number of married women aged 60 in receipt of Category B(L) retirement pension Number of widows aged 60 in receipt of Category B retirement pension Number of married women aged 60 in receipt of Category A/B(L) retirement pension Total female population aged 60 years and over Total female population in receipt of state pension Column 1 as per cent. of column 4 Column 2 as per cent. of column 4 Column 3 as per cent. of column 4 Column 1 as per cent. of column 5 Column 2 as per cent, of column 5 Column 3 as per cent, of column 4
19,690 4,440 13,870 6,764,000 6,285,590 0.29 per cent. 0.07 per cent. 0.21 per cent. 0.31 per cent. 0.07 per cent. 0.22 per cent.

Notes:

1. Category B(L) and Category B pensions are based wholly on the husband's national insurance contributions.

2. Category A/B(L) pensions are based partly on the husband's national insurance contributions.

3. Figures are not available in respect of widows whose pensions are based partly on the late husband's national insurance contributions.

4. Figures at columns 1 to 3 and 5 are for 31 March 1994, the latest date in respect of which information is available, for persons resident in Great Britain.

5. Population figures used are Government Actuary's Department 1992 based estimates.

(b) women aged 60 years and over were in receipt of state pension in the latest available date.

Mr. Arbuthnot

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 25 October,Official Report, column 428 to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Broadgreen (Mrs. Kennedy).

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men aged 65 to 69 years and (b) women aged 60 to 64 years were receiving an occupational pension at the latest available date.

Mr. Arbuthnot

The most recent estimates available1 show that in 1992 there were 1 million men aged 65 to 69 years and 0.4 million women aged 60 to 64 years in receipt of an occupational pension.

1 Estimates are derived from the 1992 Family Expenditure Survey; and "Occupational Pension Schemes 1991—Ninth survey by the Government Actuary".

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women aged over 60 years are currently not eligible for state pension as a result of an insufficient national insurance contribution record.

Mr. Arbuthnot

The information requested is not available.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women eligible for the state pension in the latest available year received the full state pension; and what percentage of women this represents of(a) the female population, (b) the female population aged over 60 years and (c) the female population in receipt of state pension.

Mr. Arbuthnot

The information is in the table.

records; and what proportion, by percentage, these figures represent of: (i) total female population aged over 60 years and (ii) total female population in receipt of state pension.

Mr. Arbuthnot

The information is in the table.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) men and (b) women were members of an occupational pension scheme at the latest available date.

Mr. Arbuthnot

The most recent figures available1 show that in 1991 there were 6.8 million male and 3.9 million female active occupational scheme members2.

1 Occupational pension schemes 1991. Ninth survey by the Government Actuary.

2 A member of an occupational pension scheme who is at present accruing benefits under that scheme in respect of current service.

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