Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to support pensioners with the lowest incomes in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The last Labour Government lifted more than 1 million pensioners out of poverty, and this Government remain absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement. We are honouring our commitment to the Triple Lock with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension, the new State Pension, and to the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit. As such, according to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.
We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we are urging pensioners to come forward and check their eligibility for Pension Credit to ensure as many people in need as possible have access to this support. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them.
Low income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from the Household Support Fund, Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Caseload statistics are routinely published and made publicly available via DWP Stat-xplore. At February 2024, there were 1,878 people claiming Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has had made of the number of people in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency eligible for but not in receipt of pension credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Information relating to Pension Credit eligibility is only available via take-up statistics. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics for Great Britain cover the financial year 2021 to 2022 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). However, these statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) accessibility and (b) other aspects of the application process for Pension Credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department is in the process of modernising the Pension Credit delivery and consideration of accessibility, having previously undertaken an assessment of the application process and introduced online claims, in addition to telephone and paper claims. DWP Agents and third-party organisations being available to support customers with the application process, and ease of the application process, form core elements of our transformational design activities.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with (a) Staffordshire County Council and (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on their potential role in increasing the number of people claiming pension credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.
Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.
We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.
As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim.
From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family.
Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to help increase take-up of Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.
Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.
We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.
As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim.
From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family.
Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of claimants known to her Department who applied for personal independence payments but died with six months of making their application.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Table 1 shows the number of claimants who died within 6 months of their PIP application per year up to 2023, the last year for which complete data is available.
Table 1
Year of PIP Application | Number of Claimants who died within 6 months of PIP application |
2014 | 11,800 |
2015 | 12,000 |
2016 | 12,300 |
2017 | 12,400 |
2018 | 12,200 |
2019 | 12,500 |
2020 | 12,100 |
2021 | 13,000 |
2022 | 12,600 |
2023 | 11,300 |
Notes:
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2023 to Question 138258 on Labelling: Packaging, what the UK's policy has been on matters relating to the meetings of the potential hazards issues working group established by the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals; and whether the UK (a) supported, (b) opposed or (c) did not taken a position in response to EU proposals to introduce new hazard classes on endocrine disruptors and other hazards.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK is an active participant of the potential hazard issues informal working group at the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemicals (UN GHS) and supported a mandate issued to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to conduct a state of the science review for endocrine disruptors, persistence and mobility. The mandate includes a review of the existing GHS hazard classes to inform technical discussions on the extent to which the potential hazard issues raised by the European Union (EU) delegation are addressed by existing GHS hazard classes.
There are no plans to consider the suitability of establishing new hazard classes in the Great Britain Classification, Labelling and Packaging (GB CLP) Regulation without consensus at UN GHS. The UK is committed to following the established process at UN GHS and will consider the reviews from the OECD, in addition to input from a range of policy and technical experts, both within HSE and other UK government departments and agencies, to assist in the development of the UK policy position when a proposal is agreed at working group level.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a commissioner for older people.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has no current plans to assess the potential merits of appointing a commissioner for older people in England.
DWP offers employment support for eligible older people through the network of Jobcentres across the UK and through contracted employment programmes. A dedicated offer for older people provides more tailored support.
The government has ambitious plans to improve employment support for people of all ages and will set out more details in a forthcoming White Paper.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to help support women affected by the rise in the State Pension age in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP offers employment support for eligible customers of all ages, including those below State Pension age, through the network of Jobcentres across the UK, and through contracted employment programmes.
A dedicated offer for older workers seeks to provide tailored support for those affected by low confidence, menopause, health and disability or caring pressures, and out of date skills or qualifications. This includes an online midlife review tool that supports people to assess their health, wealth and skills.
The government has set out ambitious plans to improve employment support by bringing together jobcentres and the national careers service.