Clause 10 - Effect of variations under section 7(4)
State Pension Credit Bill [Lords]
4:45 pm
Ms Maria Eagle (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Minister for Disabled People), Department for Work and Pensions; Liverpool, Garston, Labour)
I should like briefly to set out what the provisions in clause 10 mean and give some idea of why we think that general upratings of second pensions are possible in respect of pension credit. Clause 10 resembles, as I am sure that members of the Committee who have been Ministers will know, the routine adjustment provisions in sections 159 and 159A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. I can see everyone's ears pricking up at that, because they are all familiar with that legislation. The only difference between those provisions, which allow for general uprating, and these, is that these operate only while an assessed income period is in force.
In practice, the clause allows us to get, annually, an updated view of the retirement provision that must be taken into account in awarding pension credit. I was sorry to miss an earlier debate about this matter because I was attending another pensions debate with the hon. Member for Daventry—pensions debates seem to be popular in the House at the moment. I will try not to go over old ground.
In respect of the assessed income period, we are trying to ensure that pensioners do not have to report changes in every little dot and comma of their income and retirement provision every week, which is the current position in respect of income support. However, the period should not be so long—I am sorry to see that the hon. Member for Northavon is no longer in his seat. However, he has left his jacket, so we have every hope that he will return in due course.