Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support pensioners with increases in the cost of living in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.

The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with their rising bills.

From April 2023, benefits and the State Pension, including the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee, were increased by 10.1%, in line with prices in the year to September 2022.

Over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits, including the 1.4 million pensioners currently in receipt of Pension Credit, will receive additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900 in the 2023/24 financial year.

In addition, over 8 million pensioner households will receive a £300 pensioner Cost of Living Payment as a top up to their winter fuel payment increasing payments to £500 for those aged 66-79 and £600 for those aged 80 and over.

Specific statistics relating to the pensioner Cost of Living Payments are not available. However, the latest available winter fuel payment statistics (2021/22) show that 14,352 customers in Coventry North East and 46,614 customers in Coventry received a winter fuel payment. We expect a similar number of customers will receive the pensioner Cost of Living Payments in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

The DWP continues to work with stakeholders and others to raise awareness of Pension Credit nationwide, with a recent push for pensioners to apply before 19 May 2023 to receive the first £301 Cost of Living payment resulting in a 171% spike in claims over the two-week period before the deadline – over 20,000 claims.

The latest campaign boost was this month’s Pension Credit ‘Week of Action’ 12-16 June. DWP joined forces with a whole range of partners to raise awareness and promote take-up of Pension Credit. As part of the Pension Credit ‘Week of Action’, I wrote to all MPs on 10 June encouraging them to hold their own community event.

On 12 June I announced a new innovative “Invitation to Claim” trial which will launch across 10 local authorities in Great Britain this Summer. This will involve DWP sending letters to approximately 2,600 pensioner households identified via Housing Benefit data as being most likely to be entitled to Pension Credit and encouraging them to contact DWP and make a claim.