ON ARMISTICE DAY, KEETCH CALLS FOR MORE SUPPORT TO PENSIONERS

11.00.00am GMT Tue 11th Nov 2003

Paul Keetch, MP for Hereford and Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary has chosen Armistice Day to call on the Government for more support for pensioners in Britain. Highlighting one issue, he has called on the Government to end an inequity in the pension credit scheme that means that care home residents are unable to claim the full value of their savings credit award.

Charging regulations mean that pensioners living in care homes can only keep a maximum of £4.50 of their pension credit per week compared to a maximum credit of £14.79.

On the day that Britain remember those who gave their lives in two world wars and in conflicts since, Paul Keetch says we should show our respect for those who gave their lives by caring better for those who survived.

"People who have saved for their old age should have that fact recognised," said Mr Keetch.

"Today of all days, Armistice Day, we should remember the sacrifice that the generation now retired did for us all. Just because someone is living in a care home it should not mean that their pension credits are restricted.

"This is just one example of how our pensioners are getting a raw deal from this Government. The Liberal Democrats have developed a strong and detailed set of policies to help older people. With the over 80's now the largest growing population group in Herefordshire, these policies are especially relevant here.

"We would abolish the council tax, which can hit older people desperately hard, and replace it with a much fairer tax based on people's ability to pay. Rather than the extraordinarily complex pension credit system, we would simply increase the basic state pension by £5 a week for all pensioners - with bigger increases of up to £15 a week for older pensioners. We would also introduce free personal care.

"These aren't revolutionary measures - they are just sensible and decent if we are going to try and give back something to this group of people that have already given so much to us.

"In Herefordshire it shows that it is increasingly the Liberal Democrats who care for those who did so much for us all."