§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women are in receipt of the married woman's pension of £35.25; and what is the Government's estimate of how this figure will change over the next 10 years. [32075]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe number of women in receipt of the married woman's pension of £35.25 at 31 March 1994 is 1,905,140.
An estimate of how this figure will change over the next 10 years is not available. However, over the next 10 years the total of category BL and ABL pensioners is likely to remain approximately stable. Within this group the numbers with category ABL will rise and numbers with category BL and ABL pensions will fall.
In the longer term, due to the effects of home responsibilities protection and the abolition of the married women's reduced rate option, more women will become entitled to a category A pension at over 60 per cent. The numbers with category A pensions will rise and the numbers with category BL and ABL pensions will fall.
Note:
Category BL pension is payable to a married woman on her husband's contributions at up to 60 per cent. of the standard category A rate, provided she and her husband have both reached pension age. Category ABL pension is payable to a married woman and is a combination of category A and category BL. Where a married woman's own category A entitlement is less than 60 per cent. of the standard rate, the pension is supplemented up to that level with category BL pension based on her husband's contributions.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social84W Security how many people in residential or nursing homes have wives living elsewhere who receive the married woman's pension of £35.25. [32076]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe information requested is not available.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women in receipt of the married woman's pension of £35.25(a) are also in receipt of income support and other state benefits, (b) have incomes above income support levels and other state benefit levels and (c) are entitled to but are not claiming income support and other state benefits. [32077]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe information requested is not available.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women in receipt of the married woman's pension of £35.25 would still be in receipt of income support and other state benefits if the substitution rules were changed to allow women living apart from their husband because the husband has gone into nursing or residential care to claim a full state pension. [32078]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe information is not available.