HC Deb 26 January 1998 vol 305 cc101-2W
18. Mr. Wilkinson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to make payment of the state old-age pension subject to a test of the recipient's means. [23069]

Mr. Denham

We stand by our manifesto commitment to maintain the basic State pension as the foundation of income in retirement and we will continue to uprate it at least in line with prices.

30. Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will take steps to link the calculation of the state pension to average earnings. [23081]

Mr. Denham

The future uprating of the basic pension is being considered by the Pensions Review. In the meantime we have met our manifesto commitment to uprate it at least in line with prices.

Mr. Clifton-Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to apply an affluence test to the basic state pension. [23080]

31. Mr. Robathan

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment she has made of the merits of subjecting the state pension to a means test. [23082]

Mr. Denham

We stand by our manifesto commitment to maintain the basic State pension as the foundation of income in retirement and we will continue to uprate it at least in line with prices.

We are concerned at widening inequalities between richer and poorer pensioners. That is why the pensions review is examining means of improving access to adequate second pensions.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the amount and percentage of(a) total benefits expenditure and (b) total expenditure on the state retirement pension accounted for by women qualifying for state retirement pension on the basis of their own independent contribution record in (i) 1981 and (ii) 1995. [24751]

Mr. Denham

The information is not available in the format requested as there is no source of information that can identify all other Social Security benefits paid to women receiving Category A Retirement Pension (RP) in their own right.

Such information as is available is shown in the table:

1981 1995
Expenditure on RP to category A women £5.032 billion £7.491 billion
Proportion of total expenditure on RP going to category A women 21 per cent. 25 per cent.

Sources:

1. Pension Strategy Computer System (PSCS) 10 per cent. sample for November 1981, 5 per cent. sample for September 1995.

2. Social Security Departmental Report 1997 and earlier equivalent.

Notes:

1. RP expenditure figures include total expenditure on contributory basic RP, Graduated Retirement Benefit and Additional Pension for GB.

2. Proportion of total expenditure on RP is calculated using PSCS figures for GB and overseas cases on average amounts of the total amount of RP (including payable Additional Pension, Graduated Pension, increments, age addition, Invalidity Addition, Attendance Allowance, but excluding increase for dependants and non contributory Retirement Pension) payable to women receiving any category A RP, including widows whose own category A entitlement is increased in respect of the late spouse's RP entitlement and those married women whose category A entitlement is topped up to the 60 per cent. married women's pension.

3. The figures are expressed in 1995–96 prices.