John Lamont

I did not anticipate having 45 minutes to speak, but I will do my best to fill the time. I thank Mr Mason for starting this petition and the 120,000 people who signed it. I also thank the right hon. and hon. Members who have participated in the debate; there was perhaps more quality than quantity on this occasion, but it was a very good debate and a lot of useful points were made. It is remarkable how often Mrs Thatcher and Brexit can still creep into some of these debates, but legitimate concerns were raised by the petitioner and those who signed the petition about how the tax system interacts with the state pension in particular. The Minister was very clear about the choices the Government have made, and I think that we all accept that the highest-paid pensioners should be paying tax, but the main thrust of this petition is about those at the bottom end of the income stream who are now creeping into the tax system, which I do not think any of us intended. Pensioners deserve protection and clarity, and they need to know the Government’s intentions for how they will be protected and looked after in their retirement. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered e-petition 740671 relating to personal allowance for state pensioners.