Guarantee Credit
State Pension Credit Bill [Lords]
10:15 am
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry, Conservative)
In a sense, the Under-Secretary answered the point that I anticipated making. She has been able to make those changes before legislating in the Bill. The form does not have to be complicated just because it is based on the son or daughter of the old income support form.
The Under-Secretary mentioned the reference on the form to whether a female pensioner was pregnant. I realise that she used that slightly absurd case to make her point. Of course, as she will know, there is a presumption in law that there is no absolute bar on pregnancy. In the next village to mine, a lady aged 56 gave birth to healthy twins. When considering approximation or even equalisation, we must remember that it is not impossible that at some stage it may be necessary to reintroduce that question into the form. I welcome that, and have no objection to it in principle. My substantive point is that the Under-Secretary was able to make changes under the old format without clause 2.