Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what passport benefits of what average value a Pension Credit claimant may be eligible to receive.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Pension Credit claimants can receive passported benefits such as:

- Winter Fuel Payment;

- Housing Benefit for those who rent the property they live in;

- support for Mortgage Interest for those who own the property they live in;

- a Council Tax discount for those in England and Wales;

- a free TV licence for those aged 75 or over;

- help with NHS dental treatment, glasses, and transport costs for hospital appointments;

- help with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme;

- a discount on the Royal Mail redirection service for those moving house.

Information on passported benefits is available at: Pension Credit: Overview - GOV.UK.

No estimate has been made of the average value of these benefits.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to the public purse is of (a) a Pension Credit claimant, (b) their council tax discounts and (c) other passport benefits.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Data on Pension Credit award amounts is routinely published and made publicly available via DWP Stat-xplore. At May 2024, the average weekly Pension Credit award amount was £82.66. This figure does not include other operational and administrative costs, such as supporting customers and sending letters.

The Department does not hold data on Council Tax discount or the value of all passported benefits.

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Found: New Amendments: 8 to 47 and NC1 Danny Kruger Dame Meg Hillier Sir Julian Smith Naz Shah Rachael Maskell