§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of levels of taxation on pensioners' income; and if he will make a statement. [127613]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonSix out of 10 pensioners do not have any income tax to pay. In his 1999 Budget, the Chancellor increased the age-related personal allowances by an amount well above inflation, and in his latest252W Budget maintained their value by increasing them by statutory indexation. As a result in 2000–01, someone aged 65 to 74 can have an income of £111 a week before paying tax. This Government are committed to supporting older people. We will be spending an extra £6.5 billion on pensioners in the course of this Parliament.