Q My 80 year old mother-in-law who lives alone has a basic state pension, attendance allowance and a private pension of £255.15 per calendar month. Can she get help with her weekly rent and Counil tax of £32.08 and £9.80 respectively?

A Yes. How much she is due depends upon whether anyone gets Invalid Care Allowance for looking after her. If no-one does she gets full rebate. If there is someone she could still get rebates of about £4.50 a week.

Q I was getting Housing Benefit of £15 a week deducted from my rent. Then the council made me pay full rent of £42 and are asking me to repay £686. Can they do this? I get Incapacity Benefit of £67.50 a week, works sick pay of £76 a week and have £6,200 savings.

A In your circumstances you should be paying full rent. You were therefore getting Housing Benefit incorrectly. They can ask you to repay the overpayment unless it was their fault.

Q I paid National Insurance between 1956 and 1968. Will this entitle me to a retirement pension when 1 am 60?

A Probably but they must have been full rate contributions not the reduced married woman's rate. If you have ten years covered by a certain level of contributions you are eligible for the minimum pension of £26.80 a week.

QI have worked as a cleaner, 14 hours a week for the past 15 years. Is it true that I can now join my work's pension scheme?

A Yes. Last May the European Court of Justice ruled that part-timers could join company schemes. You should see your employer.

QI thought that the Invalidity Benefit (later changed to Incapacity Benefit) I started getting in 1994 was paid at a higher rate than retirement pension. I now realise that my basic rate of benefit is £67.50, the same as retirement pension. Am l getting short measure?

ANo. The basic rate of long term benefits for sickness has always been the same as retirement pension. Invalidity Benefit tended to be more because it had earnings-related addition on top of the basic that some would lose at pension age.