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 the potential merits of extending the Winter Fuel Payment to anyone with a terminal illness regardless of age.

We understand that pensioner circumstances may be complex and variable. However, Winter Fuel Payments remain a simple scheme to provide a modest lump sum payment to the majority of pensioners quickly and automatically, without the need for claim.

The Department supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Special Rules have applied to people who have six months or less to live but they have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.