Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of Park Home Residents who are unable to take up Pension Credit due to pitch fees not being treated equivalently to ground rent in the application process.

An award of Pension Credit can include certain housing costs where the dwelling occupied as the home is not owned by the claimant and if these costs cannot be covered by Housing Benefit. Examples of housing costs covered by Pension Credit include:

• rents or ground rents on long tenancies
• service charges
• rent charges
• co-ownership schemes
• tenancies or licences of Crown tenants
• tents and their sites

It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the number of Park Homes residents whose Pension Credit applications were unsuccessful due to pitch fees not being included in the assessment.