Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing financial support for people in receipt of the State Pension and (b) bringing Government expenditure on the State Pension in line with that in other countries, such as France and Germany.

The State Pension is the foundation of support for older people. Under this Government, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is now over £2,050 higher than in 2010.

The Secretary of State is required by law to conduct a review of applicable benefit and pension rates each year. The review is on-going and decisions will be announced shortly.

International comparisons are misleading due to differences in the pension systems as there are many factors to take into account.