Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department’s efforts to increase the number of pensioners claiming Pension Credit before 19 May 2023.

The Department issued a range of communications, including via social media, in the two weeks up to 19 May to highlight the latest date that eligible pensioners could still qualify for an additional cost of living payment if they made a successful backdated Pension Credit claim.

Internal management information shows that the DWP received around 21,000 claims in those two weeks, up 171% compared to the corresponding weeks in 2022. This data is based on internal management information which has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics. They are provided here in the interests of transparency.

There is a strong indication that our campaign is having a positive effect with the number of claims approximately 75% higher in the year May 2022-23 than over the same period the year before.

The campaign continues with the Pension Credit Week of Action taking place between 12 and 16 June where DWP will be joining forces with charities, broadcasters and a whole range of partners to raise awareness of Pension Credit and encourage eligible pensioners to make a claim.