§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy to increase the Christmas bonus to pensioners. [41676]
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to increase the Christmas bonus to pensioners. [42227]
1020WSecurity if he will make it his policy that the system of age-related rebates for the state earnings-related pension scheme will be actuarily neutral. [42197]
§ Mr. HealdAs required under the Pensions Schemes Act 1993, as amended by the Pensions Act 1995, I shall lay before Parliament in due course a report by the Government Actuary on the age-related rebates for people contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme through contracted-out money purchase schemes and appropriate personal pension schemes. The report will show the rebate levels which, in the Government Actuary's opinion, are required to reflect the cost of providing benefits of an actuarial value equivalent to that of the SERPS benefits forgone. This will be accompanied by a report of my own as to what I consider the rebates should be, and draft orders implementing those rebates. In order to come into effect in April 1997, the orders must be laid and made by the end of March 1996. In accordance with past practice, the Government Actuary issued on 16 August 1995 a consultative memorandum setting out the considerations on which his report to Parliament will be based.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the value of the retirement pension would be if it had been uprated in line with earnings or prices, whichever was higher, since 1980. [42306]
§ Mr. HealdI refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Paisley, South (Mr. McMaster) on 6 November 1995,Official Report, columns 648–49.
§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list at current prices the annual sums paid to providers of personal pension plans under the Social Security Act 1986 in respect of(a) incentives, (b) rebates and (c) other payments for contracting out of the state earnings-related pension scheme, in each of the financial years since the Act has been in force. [42196]
§ Mr. HealdThe Christmas bonus has remained at £10 since it was introduced in 1972. We have no plans to increase it.