Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure all outstanding cost of living payments due to be paid are paid in full by the end of October 2022.

The first £326 Cost of Living Payment and the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment have been paid automatically to those, who at the time, were eligible to receive it. However, there will continue to be cases where eligibility to a Cost of Living Payment has yet to be established due to an outstanding appeal decision for example. We will periodically make payments to people who have later been found to be eligible and have not yet received a payment. The payments will continue to be made automatically in the same way the qualifying benefit or tax credit is paid.

The second £324 Cost of Living Payment will be paid between the 8 and 23 November 2022 to those, who at the time, are eligible to receive it. The £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment will be paid with the normal Winter Fuel Payments from November 2022. The timetable for when Cost of Living Payments are made is published here: Cost of Living Payment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Department for Work and Pensions has published management information on the total number of means-tested benefit and Disability Cost of Living Payments made. As of 8 September 2022, 8,400,000 means-tested benefits Cost of Living Payments, first payment, had been made. As of 30 September 2022, 6,000,000 Disability Cost of Living Payments had been made. The information which will be updated as new payments are made can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-payment-management-information