HC Deb 10 December 1996 vol 287 cc176-7W
12. Mr. Riddick

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received in favour of allowing people to claim a state pension from 60 years of age; and if he will make a statement. [6856]

15. Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the additional cost of paying a full state pension from 60 years. [6859]

16. Mr. Evennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for the state retirement pension; and if he will make a statement. [6860]

26. Mr. Booth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the current old-age pension provision. [6870]

Mr. Lilley

I have recently received only one representation in favour of allowing people to claim the state pension from age 60—from the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman). To reduce the minimum age for claiming state pension to age 60 without increasing the burden on the taxpayer would mean that a single person would have a cut in their basic pension of £20 a week for the rest of their life.

13. Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to change the method of payment of the state pension. [6857]

Mr. Heald

We are introducing a benefit payment card for those who wish to continue to receive their pensions and benefits at the Post Office. The change has started successfully with child benefit. We intend to test the system thoroughly before paying further benefits, including retirement pensions, by card. People who choose to have their pensions paid into a bank or building society will not be affected by this change.

Mr. Waterson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the changes he has made in his policy towards the basic retirement pension in the current Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [6846]

Mr. Heald

In the 1995 Pensions Act we brought forward the following changes in the basic state retirement pensionfrom 6 April 2010, over a period of 10 years the state pension age for women will gradually rise from age 60 to 65; from 2010 both men and women will be able to defer claiming their pension indefinitely. The incremental rate will rise from 7.5 per cent. to 10.4 per cent. a year; from 2010 the rules relating to derived rights pensions will be equalised so that both men and women will be able to claim category B retirement pension based on the contribution record of their spouse if their own record is insufficient for a category A retirement pension; and from 2010 the rules for the award of adult dependency increases (ADI) will be simplified so that either a man or a woman of state pension age will be able to claim on ADI in respect of the younger spouse provided he or she does not have earnings, entitlement to another personal NI benefit or an occupational or personal pension which is more than the standard rate of unemployment benefit.