Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pension Credit Uptake

Monday 25 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Steps are being taken to increase pension credit uptake using existing Government letters and a potential joint working arrangement with the BBC.
  • The Department for Work and Pensions is considering an internal review to identify further improvements in communication products.
  • There is a plan to incorporate pension credit promotion into existing correspondence about attendance allowance and state pension.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Rosindell Reform Romford
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Uptake of Pension Credit has been below 65% since 2010. A short awareness campaign in 2020 was hampered by the pandemic.

Question

What steps are being taken to increase pension credit uptake using new awareness raising campaigns, considering that current uptake remains low and previous efforts were limited?

Answer from Guy Opperman

We plan to use existing Government letters on the attendance allowance and state pension to promote pension credit. We are also discussing a joint working arrangement with the BBC. The Department for Work and Pensions is considering an internal review of communication products to identify further improvements in messaging.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The long-term strategy and new innovations were not specifically addressed, only current efforts mentioned.

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Q2 Andrew Rosindell Reform Romford
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Uptake of Pension Credit has been below 65% since 2010. A short awareness campaign in 2020 was hampered by the pandemic.

Question

The Minister will know that uptake of pension credit has remained below 65% since 2010, despite a 12-week awareness campaign during the pandemic with good intentions. Does he agree that such campaigns should be part of a wider long-term strategy and utilise new innovations?

Answer from Guy Opperman

We plan to use existing Government letters on the attendance allowance and state pension, and other correspondence to promote pension credit. We are also discussing a joint working arrangement with the BBC to help raise awareness of pension credit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No direct agreement or commitment regarding a long-term strategy was provided.

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