Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Pensioners

Tuesday 3 December 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 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The government will provide a 4.1% increase in state pensions next year, benefiting over 12 million pensioners.
  • Pensioners will be better off by 1,900 over the course of this Parliament due to the triple lock commitment.
  • The government is addressing delays in processing pension credit claims by securing funding for additional staffing.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Economy Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question arises from the government's commitment to support pensioners, specifically regarding the state pension increase under the triple lock.

Question

What fiscal steps she is taking to support pensioners. Thanks to our steadfast commitment to the triple lock, more than 12 million pensioners will benefit from a 7% increase in their state pensions next year, and over the course of this Parliament they will be better off by £1,900. Pensioners also benefit from free bus passes, eye tests and prescriptions.

Answer from Emma Reynolds

Thanks to our steadfast commitment to the triple lock, more than 12 million pensioners will benefit from a 4.1% increase in their state pensions next year, and over the course of this Parliament they will be better off by £1,900. Pensioners also benefit from free bus passes, eye tests and prescriptions.

Answered
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Q2 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Benefits & Welfare
Context

In September, statistics showed that one in five pension credit claims were not processed within 50 days. The questioner raised concerns about the effectiveness of the additional funding allocated to improve processing times.

Question

In September the Government released statistics showing that one in five pension credit claims were not being processed within 50 days, and I raised that in a written parliamentary question, No. 5385. Part of the answer stated: “The department has secured funding for additional staffing to improve processing times.” Two months later, data has been released showing that the processing of one in four pension credit claims is now taking longer than 50 days. How much funding was given, will more be provided to try to move this forward, and what conversations is the Minister having with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that the funding is spent properly, given that it is taxpayers' money?

Answer from Emma Reynolds

I am a Minister in both the Treasury and the DWP, so I have conversations with officials about this all the time. We are absolutely determined that those who are eligible for pension credit should be aware that they can apply for it, given our big campaign to raise awareness—only last week we launched a TV campaign on the issue. We have also deployed an additional 500 staff to process those pension credit claims. Thanks to our campaign there has been a 145% increase in the number of claims, which is why the processing is taking a little longer, but we are absolutely focused on speeding it up and ensuring that those who are eligible receive the help they need.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Amount of funding allocated and whether more will be provided to improve processing times

How: Campaign To Raise Awareness

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