asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce legislation to enable increases in the state retirement pension to be given to pensioners who emigrate.

The cost of paying increases in the state retirement pension to British pensioners living outside the United Kingdom would be £144 million per year. The Government have examined the resources available for public expenditure and have concluded that it is not possible at present to make the necessary funds available to provide for uprating of pensions paid to those settled overseas whose pensions are not already uprated.