Social Security

I have a lot of sympathy with that position, and if our resources were infinite we would be able to do that. We are trying to move towards the point at which we have to rely less on means-testing, but at the same time our objective has been to help the poorest pensioners first and to remove the scourge of pensioner poverty, remembering that, back in 1997, the poorest pensioners were relying on £69 a week. We have increased that amount substantially, and as from April it is going up to £124, which is a big, important change. We are lifting pensioners out of poverty, but that has meant means-testing. I share some of the concerns about means-testing that were expressed by my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), but as resources are limited, it is a way to ensure that those resources are targeted on the poorest people. With all those caveats, I hope that he accepts that response.