Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason eligible pensioners are not enrolled automatically for Pension Credit.

For Pension Credit, as with other means-tested benefits, eligibility and award amounts are determined by a claimant’s specific financial and personal circumstances. These include their income and savings as well as their marital status or household composition. It would not be possible to accurately identify people who may be entitled to Pension Credit just from data the Department holds.