Clause 4 - Exclusions
State Pension Credit Bill [Lords]
3:45 pm
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry, Conservative)
I thank the Under-Secretary for her most persuasive response. It has been useful to rehearse such arguments. It is difficult when people lose out because of the de minimis rule and I accept that the Government do not want that to happen. But a few such cases will arise and I see no way of avoiding the problem, without breaching the concept of the de minimis rule. I am not sure that many pensioners will want to cross the road for tuppence, as it were, or that they would thank the Government if they did so. Given the intimate relationship of pension credit to retirement pension and so on, I still find it difficult to think how such a situation would arise. However, the hon. Lady suggested that there may be some 500 such cases a year. I am grateful for her response. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Clause 4 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Further consideration adjourned.—[Angela Smith.]
Adjourned accordingly at four minutes to Four o'clock till Tuesday 23 April at half-past Ten o'clock.