Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department have made of the potential merits of changing the requirements of past presence tests for applicants to the over 80 pension to take account of peoples inability to travel during the covid-19 pandemic.

The Category D State Pension is a non-contributory pension for those aged 80 and over who either have no basic State Pension or whose State Pension is less than the current Category D rate of £85.00 per week and who meet the residency conditions. The residency conditions include the requirement to have been resident in Great Britain for 10 years in a continuous period of 20 years which includes the day before the person’s 80^th birthday or any day thereafter. This residence requirement is a different test to the “past presence test” which applies to certain disability and carers benefits.

The Category D State Pension does not form part of the new State Pension for those who reach State Pension age on or after 6^th April 2016. No assessment has been made of the merits of changing the residence requirements in light of the Covid 19 travel restrictions.