§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the additional age allowance for pensioners over 80 years of age was first introduced; when it was last increased; what would the value of the additional age allowance now be if it had been uprated by inflation in each year since its last increase; and if he will make a statement on the purpose of the age allowance. [4682]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe age addition of 25p per week for pensioners over 80 was introduced in 1971 and has remained at that level since. If it had been increased in line with inflation it would now be worth £1.60 a week from April 1995.
We have no plans to uprate it. Our policy is to focus help on the most needy. We have allocated substantial additional resources to increasing the premiums for pensioners on income support and other income-related benefits—an extra £1.2 billion, over and above inflation, since 1988.