To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the cost of administering the policy of withdrawing pension entitlement from pensioners resident in hospital for six weeks or more;(2) what is the saving to the national insurance fund of not paying the state pension to persons resident in hospital for more than six weeks;(3) if he has any plans to change the practice of withdrawing pension entitlement from those resident in hospital for more than six weeks in a year.

As with most social security benefits, the amount of retirement pension payable is reduced after the beneficiary has been in hospital for more than six weeks. A further reduction is made after 52 weeks.These arrangements are based on the view that state funds should not make double provision for the same needs. As the national health service provides free maintenance as well as free treatment, it has always been the policy that maintenance benefits, also paid out of state funds, should not continue to be paid in full indefinitely. We have no plans to change this policy.Information on the total saving to the national insurance fund and the administration costs involved is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.