Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the waiting times for Pension Credit applicants.

Following the successful launch of our campaign to increase up-take of Pension Credit, we have received an unprecedented number of claims. We have increased the resources available to process the extra volume of claims and have also adapted our claims processing approach, which has enabled us to improve productivity and clear claims more effectively.

We are now clearing more cases per day than we are receiving. We are also prioritising the oldest cases, and those presenting in hardship, to ensure we get payments to those most in need.

With these measures in place and, assuming the current volumes of new claims for Pension Credit, we anticipate that both processing times and outstanding cases will return to the levels we had before the recent three-fold increase in claims.

Successful claims and arrears will be paid accordingly to ensure all those who are entitled do not miss out.