Clause 8 - Interpretation
Age-Related Payments Bill
12:00 pm
Mr Malcolm Wicks (Minister for pensions, Department for Work and Pensions; Croydon North, Labour)
The answer to the last question is yes.
The amendment would remove the provision to treat the members of a polygamous marriage as a single couple for the purposes of the £100 payment. I was not entirely clear what the Opposition were getting at—whether they wanted to be more generous than us or meaner. The hon. Member for Northavon took the more generous interpretation. I am sure that things will be clarified later.
The clause is largely technical. Its purpose is to define words used in the Bill and to set out, among other things, that members of a polygamous marriage will be treated as forming one couple. The provision clarifies what is to be paid to members of a polygamous marriage. They will be treated as one unit and receive £100, however many of them are over 70.
There are not many polygamous marriages in Britain, although I understand that there are no firm figures. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there may be a few hundred such relationships among the elderly. I must check that—if anecdotal sources can be checked. The numbers are reducing because since August 1988 immigration legislation—section 2 of the Immigration Act 1988 to be specific—has prevented a polygamous wife settling in Britain with her husband if another wife is already in the country. It has been a long-standing
convention that benefit rates for couples are lower than twice the single rate because two can live more cheaply than one. Equally, we believe that three can live more cheaply than two. Our approach takes into account one household, one council tax bill and one payment.
As this matter is of interest to the Committee, I can inform hon. Members that valid polygamous marriages that are contracted outside the UK are recognised for certain social security benefits. Obviously, polygamy cannot be initiated in this country. Second and subsequent wives are treated as dependants for income-related benefits, but polygamous marriages are not recognised for contributory benefits. Given that we are only talking about one payment, our approach follows the position set out on winter fuel payments.
I hope that I have clarified that this is about polygamy in the general sense, so it is also about polyandry, where a woman would have more than one husband, should she choose to take that step. Polygamy is where a man has more than one wife. The provision is all-encompassing. Despite the Opposition's concerns about the wide-ranging nature of clause 7, we would not use the provision to make the situation compulsory.