Early Take Up Of Pension Credit Is Atrocious - Webb

3.49.34pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 15th Oct 2003

Steve Webb MP, Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Responding to an announcement by Andrew Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the take-up of the new Pension Credit, Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "The early take-up of the new pension credit has been atrocious. The Government has written to over one and a half million pensioner households and yet has only managed to generate a handful of successful claims. The fiendish complexity of the pension credit is clearly putting off the majority of pensioners."

"These figures show that our worst fears are being realised - large numbers of vulnerable pensioners are set to miss out on the help they desperately need."

"The only guaranteed way to ensure that pensioners have dignity and security in old age is through a decent state pension, payable as of right."

ENDS

Note to editors:

The Government says that 1.9 million households are now receiving pension credit; this includes the 1.8 million households who were already receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee; the Government has written to 1.6 million pensioner households since April to alert them to the pension credit, but barely 100,000 appear to have responded positively and successfully claimed pension credit.