STATE RETIREMENT PENSIONS TO PEOPLE RESIDENT ABROAD

That this House notes that, by the dissolution of the last Parliament, 247 honourable Members had signed Early Day Motion number 680, which read: That this House welcomes the Third Report of the Social Security Select Committee into the Uprating of State Retirement Pensions payable to People Resident Abroad (HC 143 of Session 1996-97; and strongly supports its concluding recommendation: That there should be a free vote at prime time to allow honourable Members to express their opinion on the principle of whether the Government should pay upratings to some or all of those pensioners living in countries where upratings are not paid at present.