Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to assist pensioners in the use of communication technology.

Currently, DWP provide access to State Pension (Statements and Claim) through telephony, digital and postal methods. For customers who use State Pension Online and State Pension Statement there is a dedicated DWP online helpdesk which is available to provide support to anyone who needs it to complete their claim or enquiry online.

The Department is aware that not everyone who uses its services will have access to or be able to use digital services independently. As the Department builds more digital services we will provide support to access them, where necessary, in the appropriate non-digital way such as over the phone or face to face.

The Department also works closely with partners in a number of ways to increase the digital skills of elderly people or to better understand the barriers. This includes a network of Partner Support Managers, based in DWP Work Services Districts, who work closely with partners in the community supporting the most disadvantaged or vulnerable customers to access the full range of DWP services. The types of activities include digital demonstrations of how to utilise Carer’s On-line or State Pension On-Line.

DWP is a member of the Age Action Alliance. The work of the Alliance is taken forward through themed working groups. One of these groups leads on digital inclusion, working in partnership with a range of accessibility and technology based companies and organisations. Barclays is one such member and through its Digital Eagles Programme provides practical and helpful advice on all online issues. Members also include Local Authorities who provide digital training and practical support for older people.

DWP has also been undertaking research with local customer representative organisations to understand the barriers to older people using the digital State Pension Online service to claim their State Pension. Additionally DWP has consulted with customer representative organisations on plans to introduce digital self-service channels for older people wanting to trace lost pensions.