HC Deb 21 May 2002 vol 386 cc292-3W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many British pensioners living overseas do not have their basic state pension uprated annually in line with inflation according to their country of residence; [46892]

(2) if he will make a statement on the age profile of British pensioners living overseas in countries with which the UK does not have a reciprocal agreement to uprate pensions annually in line with inflation; [46893]

(3) what recent assessment he has made of the costs involved in uprating the pensions of British pensioners overseas in line with inflation in those countries with which the UK does not have a reciprocal agreement; [46895]

(4) how many British pensioners living overseas are in receipt of the basic state pension; and what percentage of total spending on the basic state pension has payment to British pensioners overseas represented in each year since 1997. [46897]

Mr. McCartney

Such information as is available is as follows.

The UK state pension is paid to those who satisfy the qualifying conditions, which do not include nationality. The information requested on numbers of pensioners who do not receive annual uprating is contained in Table RP4 of the "Retirement Pension Summary of Statistics—September 2001", a copy of which is available in the Library. Costs involved in uprating the pensions of British pensioners overseas will depend on the outcome of the current Judicial Review.

A breakdown of pensioners in receipt of a British state pension in frozen rate countries by sex and age1
Thousand
Age All Female Male
All 478.9 287.9 191.0
60 5.4 5.4
61 7.4 7.4
62 9.2 9.2
63 10.1 10.1
64 11.6 11.6
65 21.2 11.5 9.7
66 23.2 12.4 10.8
67 22.4 11.8 10.5
68 23.7 12.5 11.1
69 23.5 12.3 11.2
70 23.6 12.8 10.8
71 24.3 12.4 11.8
72 23.7 12.3 11.4
73 22.8 12.8 10.0
74 21.3 11.7 9.6
75 22.6 13.1 9.5
76 21.8 11.9 9.9
77 19.9 11.7 8.2
78 19.1 10.2 8.8
79 18.8 10.3 8.5
80 17.6 10.3 7.3
81 18.5 10.4 8.1
82 10.0 6.0 4.0
83 8.5 4.8 3.7
84 8.2 5.0 3.2
85 7.6 4.5 3.1

A breakdown of pensioners in receipt of a British state pension in frozen rate countries by sex and age1
Thousand
Age All Female Male
86 7.2 4.8 2.5
87 5.1 3.3 1.8
88 4.7 3.2 1.5
89 3.7 2.5 1.2
90 3.0 2.2 0.8
91 2.3 1.7 0.6
92 1.8 1.4 20.4
93 1.1 0.9 20.2
94 1.3 1.0 20.3
95 0.6 0.5 20.1
96 20.5 20.4 20.1
97 20.5 20.4 20.1
98 20.3 20.3
99 20.3 20.2
100 and over 0.5 20.5 20.1
1 Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred; totals may not sum due to rounding.
2 Figures subject to high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide to the correct situation.

Number of pensioners living overseas (thousand) Percentage of total BSP expenditure
1997 740 3.6
1998 770 3.6
1999 790 3.7
2000 810 3.8
2001 840 3.9

Notes:

1. Figures rounded to nearest 10,000.

2. Taken from March administrative data.

3. Figures exclude those in receipt of additional pension/graduated retirement benefit only.

4. Figures exclude Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

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