To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of freezing of income tax thresholds on pensioners.

The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve. The Personal Allowance has nearly doubled since 2010 and is currently set at a level high enough to ensure that those pensioners whose sole income is the full rate of the new State Pension or basic State Pension do not pay any income tax.