§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners collect benefits from186W only become payable on earnings from £89 a week whereas entitlement to national insurance benefits start accruing at £75 a week. This has benefited around half a million women.
The Government have also already taken action to support the labour market position of women through, for example, the introduction of the national minimum wage and additional investment in child care.
And many current female pensioners should benefit from the introduction of the pension credit in October 2003. Just over half of those entitled to the pension credit are single women. Two-thirds of those entitled to the pension credit will be women, and half of these women will be aged 75 or over.
Finally, we are engaging in a wide-ranging consultation on proposals made within the Green Paper. In this document, we state our commitment to providing pensions information for everyone, but we recognise that this is particularly important for women.