Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 15 September (HL1462), what action was taken to trace new addresses and re-send letters to those affected by the increase in State Pension Age under the Pensions Act 2011; and for whom letters sent between January 2012 and November 2013 were returned due to the Department for Work and Pensions having the incorrect address.

The Department has a robust process in place to review all incorrect address returns and properly scrutinise and update customer account details when an address is confirmed. Letters are issued to the latest address held on our records. DWP takes all reasonable steps to determine the correct address. For State Pensions this may include contact through Local Authority or a DWP Visiting Officer. Where an updated address is confirmed the customer account details are amended.

Information on the number of individuals who had letters returned due to incorrect address details, and details on resending letters is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.