The GMP increase order is an entirely technical matter that is attended to in this place every year. It provides for defined-benefit or final-salary occupational pension schemes contracted out to increase members’ guaranteed minimum pensions that accrued between 6 April 1988 and 5 April 1997 at 1.7%, in line with the increase in the consumer prices index to September 2019.

The shadow pensions Minister, my hon. Friend—my good friend—the Member for Birmingham, Erdington is correct to assert that the Government have failed to encourage take-up of pension credit, which is down from 70% in 2010 to 64% in 2016-17, and have introduced new rules on eligibility that put a young partner at potential risk of being sanctioned and could leave couples over £7,000 a year worse off. He also highlighted pensioner poverty is on the rise for the first time in five years according to the recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation report and urged the Government to rectify this issue.