Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support vulnerable pensioners during winter 2024-25, in the context of changes to the eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment.

The Government offers an array of support to ensure pensioners remain comfortable and safe in the winter months. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount, and (in England & Wales) Cold Weather Payments.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit. We want to ensure as many people as possible have access to this support and urge pensioners to check their eligibility. Pension Credit will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payments in future, alongside other benefits.

Our Pension Credit campaign has been successful in boosting applications by 145%, and thanks to the Pension Credit backdating rules, anyone who made a successful backdated claim by 21 December will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

The Warm Home Discount scheme provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their winter energy bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

The Government and industry have worked together to deliver a £500 million Winter Support Commitment for customers, which will help customers most in need by providing credit on bills, enhanced debt write-off schemes, and increased funding for charity partners to target hard to reach customers.

This support is all underpinned by this Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock this Parliament and a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension this April. We are also increasing the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1%. As such, according to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.

Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes (such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation) – or in England, through the Household Support Fund (a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water).

The Government is extending the Household Support Fund in England by a further year (until 31 March 2026), with funding of £742 million provided to enable this extension in England, plus additional funding for the devolved Governments to be spent at their discretion. This builds on the previous investment of £421 million to extend the fund from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.