asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people deferred retirement in June 1975, December 1975 and June 1976, respectively.

I regret that the information is not available for the specific months of June and December. However, it is estimated that, in November 1975, 182,000 people were deferring their retirement beyond minimum pensionable age for national insurance purposes, and that 135,000 were doing so in the autumn of 1976. This latter figure may be revised as further data become available. The numbers do not include those people who continue to draw an invalidity pension beyond minimum pensionable age, currently estimated at some 30,000.