Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pension Credit: Uptake 2024-11-11 (3)

Monday 11 November 2024 · 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

  • Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney inquired about progress on meeting pension credit application targets.
  • Olney noted that application numbers nearly tripled since late July to mid-September.
  • The Department of Work and Pensions redeployed 500 additional staff to help process pension credit applications.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question arises from the lack of progress in meeting targets for pension credit applications. The number of claims has doubled and nearly tripled after recent announcements, raising concerns about timely processing.

Question

What progress her Department has made on meeting pension credit application targets. Published application numbers show that we received around 74,400 pension credit claims in the eight weeks from the end of July to mid-September. Now the number of applications has nearly tripled since then. Will the Minister tell me how many pension credit applications have been submitted since 16 September?

Answer from Emma Reynolds

I gently say to the hon. Lady that we are not delaying the publication of statistics. A new set of statistics will be published soon. As I said in previous answers, we have redeployed 500 additional staff to helping to process pension credit applications.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The number of applications submitted since 16 September and whether the backlog will be cleared before older people start having to make a choice between heating and eating were not addressed specifically.

How: I Gently Say To The Hon. Lady That We Are Not Delaying The Publication Of Statistics

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Q2 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Benefits & Welfare
Context

After recent announcements on winter fuel allowance, the number of pension credit applications has doubled then nearly tripled. There are concerns that data is not being released publicly and that applications might not be processed in time.

Question

In the weeks following the Chancellor's announcements on the winter fuel allowance, the number of pension credit applications doubled, then nearly tripled. Now the DWP is delaying releasing any more data on this subject. I am concerned that the Government know that they will not be able to process the applications on time, and that the information is not being put into the public domain. Will the Minister tell me exactly how many pension credit applications have been submitted since 16 September, and whether the backlog will be cleared before older people start having to make a choice between heating and eating?

Answer from Emma Reynolds

I gently say to the hon. Lady that we are not delaying the publication of statistics. A new set of statistics will be published soon. As I said in previous answers, we have redeployed 500 additional staff to helping to process pension credit applications.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The number of applications submitted since 16 September and whether the backlog will be cleared before older people start having to make a choice between heating and eating were not addressed specifically.

How: I Gently Say To The Hon. Lady That We Are Not Delaying The Publication Of Statistics

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)