Acceptable Incomes For Older People

EDM number 933 in 1999-00, proposed by Kelvin Hopkins on 05/07/2000.

That this House welcomes the research report, Low Cost but Acceptable Incomes for Older People, produced by the Family Budget Unit and commissioned by Age Concern, which provides, for the first time, detailed information about the income pensioners need to live on; notes the research findings that, at January 1999 prices single people aged 65 to 74 years needed ú99 to ú125 a week and couples ú149 to ú184 to avoid living in poverty; urges the Government to adopt the use of budget standards and the ability of low income pensioners to pay tax and other levies; and calls on the Government to increase the state pension and relevant benefits to lift older people out of poverty.

This motion has been signed by a total of 100 MPs.