§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to improve the fiscal position of people over retirement age. [87077]
§ Mr. MilburnThe Government recognise that pensioners need fair and decent support. The average pensioner household will be £240 a year better off as a result of measures in the March 1998 and March 1999 Budgets. These measures include a fivefold increase in the winter allowance from £20 to £100, the introduction of a Minimum Tax Guarantee which will mean that no-one over 64 will pay income tax unless their income is over £110 a week, and the minimum income guarantee through Income Support which is set at £75 per week for single pensioners from April 1999.