Seniors will see their pensions rise at the same rate of inflation for the rest of the Progressive Labour Party’s tenure.

However, Charles Jeffers, an advocate for the elderly, warned that seniors would continue to struggle because of the soaring costs of medicine and groceries.

Delivering the Budget for 2018-19 yesterday, David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, said: “The Ministry of Finance will keep the Progressive Labour Party platform promise by increasing pensions for our seniors by the rate of inflation this year, and every year as long as we are in office.”

Responding, Mr Jeffers, the deputy chairman of Age Concern, said: “That’s wonderful, except are they going to tie the cost of prescriptions, groceries and medicine to the cost of living?

“If insurance goes up by 5 per cent or 10 per cent or even more, what good is that? If there’s no control over prescription drugs, especially for seniors, then what good is that?

“We are grateful for anything that’s being done in a positive way for seniors, but unless other things are controlled then it might not count for so much.”

Mr Burt announced further good news for seniors by directing an extra $1.8 million to the Ministry of Health to fund programmes for long-term care and public health services.

He said this would enable the reopening of the fourth floor of the Sylvia Richardson Care Facility, which has been closed since September 2016. Further funds will be made available for community health nurses.