Oral Answers to Questions

Jamie Stone Excerpts

Monday 11th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lewis Atkinson (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to increase uptake of pension credit in winter 2024-25.

[Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD)]

10. What steps her Department is taking to help increase uptake of pension credit.

--- Later in debate ---

[Emma Reynolds]

We have seen a 152% increase in pension credit claims since late July, with over 74,000 pension credit claims up to mid-September. We know that many local authorities and, indeed, Members of this House—including me last Thursday—are helping pensioners on low incomes to ascertain whether they are due pension credit.

[Jamie Stone]

There will be people who are eligible for pension credit living in very remote areas, where connectivity is less than great. It is an appalling thought that they might miss out on what they are due. May I suggest to the Department that the way to reach out to those people might be through a database, followed by a mailshot?

[Emma Reynolds]

In addition to merging housing benefit and pension credit, which will help some of the people whom the hon. Gentleman has in mind, the Secretary of State and I have asked the Department to look at what can be done to make the application form simpler. The Department will report back to us by the end of the month, and we will update the House in due course.