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Written Question
Pensions: Reform
Wednesday 9th October 2024

Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to reform the pensions system.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has already begun work to reform the pensions system:

  • The Pensions Bill, confirmed in King’s Speech, could boost pension pots by over £11,000 for an average earner saving over their career, with further consolidation and broader investment strategies to potentially deliver higher returns for pensions.
  • Our landmark Pensions Review, launched in July, is considering how to drive efficiencies and boost investment to help increase pension pots.
  • The second phase of the review will begin later this year, looking at further steps to improve pension outcomes, including assessing pension adequacy. This will consider options to build on the success of Automatic Enrolment, which has turned millions of people into pension savers.
Written Question
Winter Fuel Payment: Huntingdon
Wednesday 18th September 2024

Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of pensioners in Huntingdon constituency will lose winter fuel payment.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Pension Credit data is based on the 2010 Westminster Parliamentary constituencies, not 2024 in order to be comparable with the Winter Fuel Payments statistics.

The estimated number of pensioners in Huntingdon constituency who will lose Winter Fuel Payments is 21,148, this equates to a proportion of 93%. This is based on Feb-24 Pension Credit statistics and 22/23 Winter Fuel Payment statistics, (sources below).

The estimation is calculated by subtracting the number of Pension Credit recipients for Huntingdon Constituency (2010 boundary) from the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients for Huntingdon constituency. Please note that Pension Credit claimants are the majority of those that will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments, not all. There are other pensioners who are eligible for Winter Fuel Payments (as they claim other means tested benefits) but they are not considered in these figures as it is not possible to do so.

Furthermore, the above does not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up we might see as a result of the policy change (means testing Winter fuel payments to those on Pension Credit and other means tested benefits). We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims by Parliamentary constituencies or local authorities.

Also, the published Pension Credit figures refer to households rather than individuals, so the number of individuals claiming Pension Credit, will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where it is a couple claiming Pension Credit).

Sources used:

winter-fuel-payments-caseload-2022-to-2023.ods (live.com)

Stat-Xplore - Table View (dwp.gov.uk) (Feb-24 data)