Pension Credit

Question

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of eligible people claiming pension credit. My Department has carried out a comprehensive campaign of communication since April 2022 to promote pension credit.

Question

I strongly backed my right hon. Friend's campaign in December last year, particularly in my Clwyd South constituency. Will he give us a further assessment of how effective that campaign has been in Wales and across the rest of the UK? I can inform him that for the week commencing 12 December, for example, there were 7,200 claims, which is a 177% increase compared with this time last year.

Question

This is not party political; we all want to make sure that pensioners in need get the help and support that they can get. The Secretary of State will understand, though, that in communities such as mine there are still too many pensioners eligible for pension credit who are not yet accessing it. Given the success of his campaign so far, what further will he do to ensure that the really hard-to-reach pensioners get the support that they deserve and need? I very much welcome the hon. Gentleman's question and the non-partisan way in which he presented it.

Question

The Government seem to be trying to pat themselves on the back after years of failure on pension credit. As we just heard, hundreds of thousands of pensioners are still missing out on a vital top-up benefit that is needed to get them through the cost of living crisis. Why has the Government's response been so ineffective, and what on earth will the Government do about their dismal failure to help pensioners during their hour of need? I am very surprised to hear the hon. Gentleman pose that question, first, because of his party's record on this matter when they were in government; and secondly, because of the clear progress that I have outlined to the House today and on previous occasions about the increase in take-up that the Government are securing.