Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pension Credit

Monday 23 January 2023 · 4 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Pension credit take-up is a priority with a 1.2 million communications campaign ongoing since April.
  • There was a 177% increase in claims in the week commencing 12 December, attributed to the campaign push before Christmas.
  • Concerns raised about delays in processing claims, with a doubling in number of claims in 2022, expected to normalize by February.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Johnston
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The Department's efforts to encourage eligible pensioners to apply for Pension Credit are under scrutiny.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to encourage eligible pensioners to apply for pension credit.

Answer from Laura Trott

Pension credit take-up is a priority. A £1.2 million communications campaign has been ongoing since April, with significant push before Christmas to boost awareness ahead of cost-of-living payments. Constituency-level work by MPs like the hon. Member is acknowledged.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific success metrics or concrete steps beyond communication campaigns were not provided.

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Q2 David Johnston
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The efficacy of the Christmas campaign to increase Pension Credit uptake is being evaluated.

Question

Will she update the House as to whether or not that has been a success and whether we have seen an increase in uptake?

Answer from Laura Trott

There was a 177% increase in claims in the week commencing 12 December, with 7,200 claims processed compared to previous years. This is attributed to efforts by MPs and the campaign push before Christmas.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q3 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Research indicates long delays in processing Pension Credit claims, impacting many pensioners.

Question

According to research from the Law Centres Network's recent pension credit report, nearly 60% of respondents said that they waited between three and six months for claims to be processed. A constituent of mine has been waiting six months and losing out during that time. Will the Minister address the Pension Service's processing failure and take steps to bring the average time it takes to deal with claims for pension credit down to the target time of six weeks?

Answer from Laura Trott

Concerned about delays; due to doubled number of claims in 2022. Expect normal waiting times by February. Will report back on progress.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps and timeline for reducing processing time were not given.

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Q4 Matt Rodda Lab Reading Central
Benefits & Welfare
Context

A significant number of pensioners are not receiving Pension Credit, thus missing out on a £900 heating support payment linked to Pension Credit.

Question

Nearly 1 million pensioners are not receiving pension credit to which they are entitled. To make matters worse, each of those 1 million pensioners is also missing out on a £900 payment from the Government to help them with heating, as the payment is available only to those on pension credit. Why have the Government been so ineffective at raising the take-up of pension credit? Will she also explain why on earth they linked help with heating to pension credit when they knew that 1 million pensioners would miss out as a result?

Answer from Laura Trott

Acknowledges the hon. Gentleman's interest; previous efforts on boosting take-up are noted, including success before Christmas. Plans for automation and greater data use to improve efficiency are highlighted.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps or timeline addressing under-entitlement were not provided.

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