Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pension Credit Claimants: Kettering

Monday 21 March 2022 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Kettering constituency had 1,864 people receiving pension credit in August 2021, accounting for about 10% of state pension claimants.
  • The Minister offered to attend the Kettering older persons fair on 1 July to support local efforts in raising awareness.
  • Stephen Timms questioned the feasibility of the Department identifying and making awards to eligible but non-claiming pensioner households.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Philip Hollobone Con
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP is concerned about the number of people in Kettering constituency who are eligible for but not claiming pension credit.

Question

How many and what proportion of state pension claimants in Kettering constituency claim pension credit?

Answer from Guy Opperman

This Government provide more than £5 billion of pension credit. In August 2021, there were 1,864 people receiving pension credit in the Kettering constituency. That accounts for approximately 10% of those in receipt of the state pension in the Kettering constituency in broad terms.

Answered
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Q2 Philip Hollobone Con
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP seeks to encourage more people in north Northamptonshire to claim the pension credit they are entitled to, highlighting extra help with council tax, heating bills, dental treatment and TV licences.

Question

Pension credit is largely unclaimed across the country; there could be 4,500 people in north Northamptonshire who are eligible but not claiming. Those who do claim it get extra help with council tax, heating bills, dental treatment and TV licences. Would the Minister be kind enough to join me in Kettering at an older persons fair that I am organising in the summer so that we can encourage the take-up of pension credit in the Kettering constituency?

Answer from Guy Opperman

Rumours had reached me of the Kettering older persons fair, which I believe is taking place on Friday 1 July. All roads lead to Kettering on that occasion. I would be honoured and privileged to attend to support my hon. Friend, who is a doughty champion of his constituency, and all the good charities, such as Age UK and Citizens Advice, that are working hard to get those numbers up, which is what we all want to do.

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to increasing pension credit take-up but instead agreed to attend a fair for promotional activities.

How: Changed Subject

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Q3 Stephen Timms Lab East Ham
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP is concerned about low take-up of pension credit amidst the cost of living crisis and seeks a commitment for an ambitious target to increase take-up.

Question

Take-up of pension credit remains low: an estimated 850,000 pensioner households across the country are not receiving the help that they are entitled to. The Department could feasibly work out who those households are and simply make them an award of pension credit. Given the scale of the current cost of living crisis, will the Department commit to an ambitious target for increasing the take-up of pension credit across the country and to a much more ambitious campaign to promote it?

Answer from Guy Opperman

I hate to disagree with the Chair of the Select Committee but he is wrong. As he knows, because he did this job in 2007-08, the Department does not know the exact numbers of a means-tested benefit that was set up by Gordon Brown specifically for circumstances where there is not the capability of saying exactly who can apply. The right hon. Gentleman is also wrong, however, that the stats are going up, not down, because they are up on the main income element.

Not addressed: The Minister criticised the opposition rather than addressing the substance of improving pension credit take-up.

How: Criticised Opposition

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