Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of how many pensioners will have the assessed income periods of their pension credit end early as a result of changes to pension credit on 6 April 2016.

We estimate that around 250,000 Pension Credit recipients will have their assessed income period (AIP) end early. This estimate is based on DWP administrative data and includes an assumption about the number of new AIPs that will be set between now and 5 April 2016. The end of an AIP does not necessarily change the Pension Credit award; the effect depends on whether any changes to income or capital have taken place.