§ Mrs. Jane KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women aged 60 years are currently not eligible for state pension as a result of an insufficient national insurance contributions record.
§ Mr. ArbuthnotIt is estimated that approximately 110,000 women aged 60 at 5 April 1993 in the United Kingdom would not be eligible for a basic state pension on their own national insurance contributions, either because they had not paid sufficient national insurance contributions, or because they had opted to pay at the married woman's reduced rate. This figure includes women who would be eligible for a basic pension derived wholly or partially from their spouse's or former spouse's national insurance contributions.
Source: 1 per cent. sample of national insurance records and Government Actuary's Department population projections.
§ Mrs Jane KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women in the United Kingdom were paying the reduced married woman's national insurance contributions in 1993–94.
§ Mr. ArbuthnotIn 1992–93—the latest year for which information is available—some 614,000 women in the United Kingdom paid employees' national insurance contributions at the reduced rate.