Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of potential factors limiting Pension Credit take-up among eligible low-income pensioners in rural areas.

Research suggests that there are a range of reasons why some pensioners don’t claim Pension Credit. These include lack of awareness, uncertainty about eligibility and stigma around claiming benefits more generally. Some pensioners assume that they will not be entitled because they own their own home or have modest savings or other retirement income. Some may be put off by the claim processor be hesitant to provide personal or financial information. Pensioners in rural areas may face added barriers such as having limited access to local support services, social isolation or poor digital connectivity.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all pensioners, no matter where they live, receive the financial support they are entitled to. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit taken-up campaign across the whole of Great Britain, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their family and friends through adverts on television and radio; on social media and on digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices, as well as in the press. And Pension Credit can be claimed over the telephone, by post or online. Pensioners claiming by telephone can be supported and guided through the claim process by an agent while the online service is available 24/7 every day of the year and can be completed by a friend or relative.