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Pensions Bill

As my hon. Friend is aware, we have made the provision of help for older people a key part of our expenditure. In the recent Budget, announcements on the winter fuel allowance prioritised pensioners because of the circumstances arising from increased fuel costs. The Budget means that next year's winter fuel payments will increase to £250 for households with someone over 60 and £400 for those with someone over 80. That is a significant contribution to older people's winter fuel bills. As my hon. Friend will be aware from his own constituents, we have also made it a priority to introduce funding to ensure that older people have free bus passes from 1 April. It is also the case that we have introduced things such as free eyesight tests, free TV licences for the over-75s and we have outlawed age discrimination. We have taken a whole series of steps showing that this Government regard older people and pensioners as a priority—not only in financial terms, but by making changes to how our society operates and dealing with discrimination against older people in the work force. I am working at the moment on another small but symbolic step to ensure that we have an older people's day to show our respect for their role and contribution to our society. All those things are part of our commitment.