State Retirement Pensions Hugh Bayley To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rate of basic state pension payable to (a) single pensioners and (b) couples (i) was in 1996-97 and (ii) will be in 2010-11; and what the 2010-11 rates would have been if they had been uprated since 1996-97 in line with prices. Angela Eagle The information requested is in the following table: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |£ per week | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Financial year |Standard rate on own contributions|Standard rate for couple where one spouse or civil partner is reliant on the other’s contributions| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |1996-97 |61.15|97.75| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2010-11 (actual) |97.65|156.15| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2010-11 (price uprated) |87.50|139.75| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Notes:1. All figures in cash terms.2. Uprating calculations employ historic annual increase in the RPI series for September of the previous year.3. The standard rate of the Category A pension (payable on a person’s own contributions) is commonly referred to as the ‘singles rate’.4. Category B pension is about 60 per cent. of the standard rate basic Category A pension. It is currently payable by virtue of a husband’s qualifying years or earnings, and from May 2010 or later will also be payable by virtue of a wife’s or civil partner’s contributions where the wife or civil partner was born after 5 April 1950 and has reached state pension age.5. The sum of the Category A and Category B pension is often referred to as the ‘couples rate’.6. From 2010-11, anyone reaching SPA will have their BSP entitlement under reformed contributory conditions; 75 per cent. of women will have full basic state pension in their own right in 2010-11.| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------