Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Guy Opperman and Gareth Snell

Monday 1st July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Guy Opperman]

I will take the hon. Lady’s point on board and write to her.

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

10. How many people receive a state pension of less than £168.80 a week.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Guy Opperman)]

The Department does not publish statistics on the number of people who receive a state pension below the full new state pension amount. As of November 2018, the average amount of the new state pension that people received, including any protected payments, was £154.91 per week.

[Gareth Snell]

I thank the Minister for that answer. While he may not have that figure, I can tell him that two of the people who do not receive that amount are Bob and Hilary Heyes from my Stoke-on-Trent constituency. Had they started to claim their state pension under the new state pension, they would have received the full amount because they had 35 qualifying years, but because they were born before 1951 and 1953 respectively, they receive considerably less. What would the Minister have me tell Mr and Mrs Heyes when they come to constituency surgery next?

[Guy Opperman]

It is hard for me to comment on the specifics of the particular case. If the hon. Gentleman writes to me in advance of the forthcoming constituency surgery, I will write back to him and he can hand over the letter.