Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support recipients of the Financial Assistance Scheme with the cost of living.

This Government is committed to take action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty, including those who are receiving payments from Financial Assistance Scheme. This includes measures such as:

• the triple lock - that increased the basic and new state pension by 10.1% in financial year 2023/24
• Pension Credit– which was also increased by 10.1% in financial year 2023/24
• a £300 payment – which has been made to pensioner households as a top up to their Winter Fuel Payment both this winter, and in the winter of 2022/23.