§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 20 October 1999,Official Report, column 435, what the basis was for his statement that the average pensioner is currently receiving more than if pensions had been indexed to earnings. [96031]
§ The Prime MinisterIn the first three years of this Parliament, pensioners will have received an extra £1.6 billion through the new Winter Fuel Payments and the introduction of the Minimum Income Guarantee. This is more than twice the amount that pensioners would have received from uprating the basic state pension in line with earnings rather than prices.
As well as being worth more than uprating, our policies for pensioners strike a better balance between benefiting all pensioners and getting more help to those in greatest need. The £100 Winter Fuel Payment goes to every pensioner household, regardless of their income. The Minimum Guarantee means even more help for pensioners on low incomes.