Pensions Consultation (Hansard, 20 March 2003)

§ Mr. McCartney

The Government are conducting the largest consultation ever mounted on pensions issues. To ensure the widest possible range of views are sought they have established a partnership with Age Concern and the Co-operative Insurance Society to consult on the proposals in the Pensions Green Paper, "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement", Cm 5677. The aim of this tier of consultation is to reach individuals, groups and organisations that may not ordinarily have the opportunity to air their views direct to Ministers. A series of consultation events will take place, one in each of the Government Office Regions in England, one in Wales and one in Scotland.

921W

Arrangements for the whole series of meetings have yet to be finalised. However the event for the West Midlands GOR will be held on 3 April at the Copthorne Merry Hotel in Dudley. Attendance is by invitation only.

Age Concern and CIS will identify and issue invitations to people in the following groups. Some invitations for the West Midlands event have already been issued.

Local business interests and representative groups
Local trade union representatives
Representatives of local ethnic minority groups
Representatives of LA and voluntary welfare rights and advice organisations
Local CAB
Local Help the Aged
Representatives of local older peoples' representative organisations

Share of expenditure on type of benefit shown, Great Britain, financial years
Percentage of total
	Pensions	Disability benefits	Unemployment benefits	Child benefits Excluding IRB^* child elements	Including IRB^* child elements	Housing benefits
1982–83	47	2	13	12	n/a	l0
1983–84	45	2	14	12	n/a	11
1984–85	44	3	14	12	n/a	11
1985–86	44	3	14	11	n/a	11
1986–87	43	3	14	11	n/a	11
1987–88	44	4	12	10	n/a	11
1988–89	45	4	9	10	n/a	11
1989–90	46	4	7	10	n/a	12
1990–91	45	4	7	9	n/a	13
1991–92	43	5	9	8	12	12
1992–93	41	5	10	8	12	13
1993–94	40	6	9	8	12	14
1994–95	39	7	8	8	12	15
1995–96	39	8	7	8	12	15
1996–97	39	9	5	8	12	15
1997–98	41	9	4	8	12	15
1998–99	42	9	3	8	12	14
1999–2000	43	10	3	8	12	14
2000–01	45	10	3	9	12	14
2001–02	46	10	2	8	12	13
2002–03	46	10	2	8	12	14
^* IRBs: Income-related benefits—income support, income based jobseeker's allowance family credit and disability working allowance. Notes and definitions:

(a) "Pensions" includes retirement pension, minimum income guarantee and its predecessors, winter fuel payments and over 75 TV licences. Expenditure on over 75 TV licences includes Northern Ireland.

(b) Disability-related benefits include disability living allowance, attendance allowance, mobility allowance, invalid care allowance, independent living funds and vaccine damage payments.

(c) Unemployment benefits include jobseeker's allowance, unemployment benefit, and income support/supplementary benefit for the unemployed.

(d) Child benefits include child benefit (including lone parent addition), one parent benefit, guardian's allowance and child's special allowance, plus child-related elements of income support, jobseeker's allowance, family credit and disability working allowance in the second of the two columns.

(e) Housing-related benefits include housing benefit, council tax benefit, community charge benefit and rate rebate, including those elements of expenditure financed within local authorities' housing revenue accounts and general funds.

Figures are rounded to the nearest whole per cent.

Source:

Departmental accounts and estimated out-turn underlying the pre-Budget 2002 forecasts.

922W

Local financial advisers
Mothers' Union
Representation from local government Credit unions
One parent families
Gay/lesbian rights groups
Monetary Advice Trust—Scotland
Regional representatives from the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF)
Regional Co-op Societies
Regional CBI offices
Other organisations with the Departments prior agreement

A small number of people/organisations will be invited by the local Pension Service.