Labour MP Deo Debattista has called for the immediate introduction of a minimum guaranteed pension for all.

Speaking during the adjournment on Monday, Dr Debattista said that according to the UN and the OECD, anyone receiving a pension of less than 60 per cent of the average national income risked falling into poverty.

He recalled that in 2004, the Alliance of Pensions Organisations had called on the Pensions Working Group to introduce a minimum guaranteed pension straightaway.

However, the working group had recommended that it be given only to those reaching pensionable age in 2027.

The time had come to change the direction of government investment, he said, suggesting it would pay to help independent pensioners stay in studio flats in the community.

There was going to be an astronomical demand for beds in old peoples’ homes which would not be sustainable.

A different approach was needed. Instead of investing in homes and hospitals for the aged, the government should invest in ways that would help the aged live in the community.

This would help reduce government outlay and improve the quality of life of elderly people.