Written questions by Evans.

What estimate she has made of the number of Pension Credit applications rejected by decision makers since September 2024; and what the reasons were for the rejection of those applications.

The latest published data on Pension Credit applications and awards was published on 27 February [Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK]. This showed that DWP cleared 232,200 Pension Credit claims between 29 July 2024 and 23 February 2025, of which 117,800 claims were awarded Pension Credit and 114,500 were not awarded Pension Credit. In common with all income-related benefits, a person’s eligibility for Pension Credit depends on their financial and household circumstances. The most common reason why a person might not qualify for Pension Credit is because their household income is too high.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question, what performance matrix she is following to monitor the effectiveness of the funding for additional staffing to reducing pension credit application processing times to a planned timescale of 50 working days.

The Government has recently put in place the biggest ever pension Credit tave-up drive. To help ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims within reasonable timeframes, the Department has deployed over 500 additional staff through a combination of internal redeployments, use of external providers and external recruitment. We measure Pension Credit performance via our published 50 working day timeliness measure and monitor weekly average actual clearance times. The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (ARA) on 22nd July 2024. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the Financial Year 2024 to 2025, which is due for publication in the summer. As a result of this investment in staff the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56.2 working days in week commencing 24th February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 31507 on Pension Credit, what departmental budget stream is supporting the funding for additional staff to process pension credit applications.

The Government has recently put in place the biggest ever pension Credit tave-up drive. To help ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims within reasonable timeframes, the Department has deployed over 500 additional staff through a combination of internal redeployments, use of external providers and external recruitment. We measure Pension Credit performance via our published 50 working day timeliness measure and monitor weekly average actual clearance times. The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (ARA) on 22nd July 2024. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the Financial Year 2024 to 2025, which is due for publication in the summer. As a result of this investment in staff the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56.2 working days in week commencing 24th February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

With reference to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question HL4289 on Pension Credit and with reference to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of 3 December 2024, Official Report, column 141, what steps she is taking to improve the processing of pension credit claims.

As referenced in previous responses HL4289 and Question 5385, DWP works to a planned timescale of 50 working days to clear Pension Credit claims. The funding was the first stage followed by securing staffing resource, training those people and enabling learning consolidation to process Pension Credit claims. As a result the Department has deployed over 500 additional people to ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims in reasonable timescales. Since this action, the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56 working days in week commencing 3 February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. However, Pension Credit is a complex benefit, and some claims require additional investigation or information from the customer, which can result in longer processing times. Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 28 November 2024. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, up to 17 November 2024.Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK The latest publication is due on 27th February 2025 and will cover data up to week commencing 17th February 2025. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2024 to Question 5385 on Pension Credit, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that funding for additional staffing is reducing pension credit application processing times.

As referenced in previous responses HL4289 and Question 5385, DWP works to a planned timescale of 50 working days to clear Pension Credit claims. The funding was the first stage followed by securing staffing resource, training those people and enabling learning consolidation to process Pension Credit claims. As a result the Department has deployed over 500 additional people to ensure it has the capacity to assess all claims in reasonable timescales. Since this action, the latest Average Actual Clearance Time is now down to 56 working days in week commencing 3 February 2025 after a peak of 87 working days week commencing 9 December 2024. However, Pension Credit is a complex benefit, and some claims require additional investigation or information from the customer, which can result in longer processing times. Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 28 November 2024. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, up to 17 November 2024.Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK The latest publication is due on 27th February 2025 and will cover data up to week commencing 17th February 2025. Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day and based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of age-related discrimination on (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the workplace.

The Government recognises the need to recruit on merit, irrespective of a persons' age. The 2010 Equality Act provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment, rendering it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees or job applicants based on age.Employers play a key role in helping older individuals in the workplace.  Age diversity within the workforce brings numerous benefits to businesses, in addition to broader advantages such as fresh perspectives and knowledge-sharing.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is therefore working across government, and through regular engagement with employers, to encourage positive attitudes towards older people and has signed the Age-friendly employer pledge, a nationwide initative led by the Centre for Ageing Better, aimed at promoting age inclusive working practices.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 5385 on Pension Credit, how much extra funding her Department has secured for additional staffing to improve processing times.

The details of the departmental budgets for 24/25 and 25/26 will be agreed through the Spending Review. This will include details of funding to support Pension Credit claims.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 33 on State Retirement Pensions: Women and with reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pensio

Work is ongoing to consider the Ombudsman’s report and the views that have been expressed on all sides including the recommendations made by the Work and Pensions Select Committee and the points raised by representatives from the WASPI Campaign who I met ...

What comparative assessment she has made of trends in the take up of Pension Credit between (a) July 2024 and September 2024 and (b) July 2022 and July 2024.

Pension Credit take-up statistics for Great Britain are published annually and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The annual publication reports on the take-up of Pension Cred...

What the average processing time for a Pension Credit application was in the latest period for which data is available; and whether she has taken steps to improve that processing time.

The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts published on 22nd July 2024 (link to ARA 23/24). This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned...

If she will publish the impact assessment for the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment regulations.

The Regulations came into force on the 16 September, the first day of the Winter Fuel Payment qualifying week. A regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this legislation because the effect is on individuals and private households rather tha...

What her policy is on continuing the Household Support Fund after 30 September 2024.

The Government has announced funding to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £500 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF, including funding for the Devo...

What steps she is taking to encourage pension credit take up in (a) Leicestershire and (b) the East Midlands.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.As part of the last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. From 16 September, we will be running a national marketing campaign on a range of channels (including Nottingham Post and Leicester Mercury, and a range of local East Midlands radio stations including Greatest Hits Radio, Smooth Radio and Gold). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as friends and family who can encourage and support them to apply. Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

If she will take steps to ensure that the pension credit application process is (a) streamlined and (b) user friendly to complete.

We are streamlining all Pension Credit application routes by using information held internally to reduce the number of questions the citizen must answer. A key objective of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme is to utilise end user research to understand how the application process should operate in the future and consider the opportunities on how services can be more user friendly and easily accessible for citizens.

What assessment she has made of the impact of her Department’s Service Modernisation Programme in (a) encouraging more people to apply for pension credit and (b) improving the customer service experience when applying for pension credit.

The modernisation of Retirement Services, which includes Pension Credit, forms a key part of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme. An objective of the team is to understand how the application process should operate in the future and understand the opportunities on how services can be accessed easier and faster for citizens. We are utilising end user research to improve the customer experience on all Pension Credit application routes and using information held internally to reduce the number of questions the citizen must answer. As part of our modernisation, we are engaging with leading external organisations to understand what improvements could be made to help increase Pension Credit take up and improve ease of application.

If she will publish the equality impact assessment for changes to winter fuel payment entitlement.

The Regulations will come into force on 16 September, the first day of the Winter Fuel Payment qualifying week. In making a decision on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the Government had regard to an equality analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements. However, it is not the convention for equality analyses to be published alongside secondary legislation.