Tag Archives: free prescriptions

Steve Webb writes: working for pensioners, now and in the future

When I was appointed Pensions Minister last May my first priority was protecting current pensioners. It was widely assumed that the spending review would see cuts to a range of forms of help that pensioners receive. But despite the spending pressures, the budgets for bus passes, free television licences, free prescriptions and the Winter Fuel Allowance have been protected at the level set out by the previous government. Better still, where Labour had planned to cut Cold Weather Payments to £8.50 per week we have made them £25 permanently to protect the most vulnerable when the temperature is below …

Posted in Op-eds and Parliament | Also tagged , , , and | 29 Comments
Advert



Recent Comments

  • John Barrett
    A few millionaires have been quoted as receiving the winter fuel allowance, such as Richard Branson, who pays no UK income tax, and Alan Sugar, who was forced t...
  • Peter Martin
    @ Ellyott, "Whatever the flat rate ends up at, it will be lower than the current base rate and thus fair" I doubt we'll ever agree on what may ...
  • Ellyott
    Whatever the flat rate ends up at, it will be lower than the current base rate and thus fair. The use of terms such and progressive, and regressive illustrates...
  • Joe Bourke
    Currently, public spending in the UK is in excess of £1.2 trillion i.e. circa 45/46% of total national income. Receipts from taxes and other sources are around...
  • James Fowler
    Behind all the white noise there are a couple of salient points. The % growth in state pension has conspicuously exceeded that of public sector incomes and a...