Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help pensioners in Liverpool, West Derby constituency to (a) have access to information about their eligibility for and (b) access Pension Credit.

Estimates for Pension Credit take-up are only available at the Great Britain level. The latest statistics (2019/20) are in the publication:

Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Pension Credit provides vital financial support to pensioners on a low income. In Liverpool, West Derby some 3,600 pensioners already receive Pension Credit, but we want all those who are eligible to claim it. That’s why the Department launched a £1.2m nationwide communications campaign in April to raise awareness of Pension Credit and increase take-up. The campaign included:

• promotion of Pension Credit on social media, via internet search engines and sponsored advertising on targeted websites that pensioners, their friends and family are likely to visit;
• information screens in Post Offices and GP surgeries across GB;
• advertising in regional and national newspapers and on national and local broadcast radio;
• advertising on the sides of buses, interior bus panels and digital street displays;
• leaflets and posters in Jobcentres, as well as digital versions which could be used by stakeholders and partners across local communities;
• engagement with Local Authorities nationwide through the Government Communication Service local network and promotional materials to enable them to support the campaign;
• an updated digital toolkit with information and resources that any stakeholder can use to help promote Pension Credit; and
• a second Pension Credit awareness media ‘day of action’ in June working in close collaboration with broadcasters, newspapers and other partners such as Age UK, Independent Age and the private sector to reach out to pensioners to promote Pension Credit through their channels.

This month we undertook a further burst of communications activity, including press and radio advertising and social media to highlight to pensioners that if they applied for Pension Credit by 18 December, it would not be too late to qualify for a £324 Cost of Living Payment – subject to Pension Credit backdating rules.

On 7 December, around 40 MPs attended a Pension Credit event at Portcullis House which I hosted. I was pleased to hear about the work that a number of MPs are already doing to help their constituents make a claim and also that others pledged to help promote Pension Credit.

In the new year, DWP will again write to over 11 million pensioners as part of the annual uprating of State Pension. The accompanying leaflet has been updated to include this year’s campaign messaging promoting Pension Credit.

Further spend of £1.8m has been approved for marketing activity until the end of this financial year.