Written question asked by Lord Wills (Labour) on Monday, 1 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 November 2004. It was answered by Malcolm Wicks (Labour) on Thursday, 11 November 2004 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Dept for Work and Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of eradicating pensioner poverty. - Including figures.

Answer: Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of eradicating pensioner poverty. [196030] Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available. Poverty and social exclusion are complex and multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of peoples' lives--including their living standards, health, housing, the quality of their environment and not just low income. It is not therefore possible to estimate the cost of eradicating poverty with any assurance. The sixth annual "Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of measures. In 2002-03 the Government spent £6 billion a year more on pensioners than we would if policies in 1997 had continued. This helped to cut the number of pensioners in low income (in households under 60 per cent. of median income after housing costs) from £2.7 million to £2.2 million in 2002-03 (which does not reflect the introduction of pension credit). This year the Government is spending £10 billion more than we did under 1997 policies, of which £5 billion goes to the poorest third.

Secondary information