Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to inform Employment and Support Allowance claimants who are approaching retirement age that their benefit is coming to an end and that they must prepare to make a new claim for state pension.

Provided the Department has their up-to-date address, it will send ESA claimants a letter four months before they reach State Pension age telling them they can now claim State Pension; and another letter telling them that their ESA payments will soon stop and advising them to claim State Pension instead. Claimants will also get help and guidance from their work coach and Benefit Centre staff, should they need it.

This gives ESA claimants every opportunity to claim in time to ensure that there are no delays or disruptions between their final benefit payment and their first State Pension payment.

More than one-third of people now choose to claim their State Pension online. People can also claim by phone or in writing ensuring all customers can access their Pension via whichever method suits their needs. It has never been easier to claim your State Pension.