Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2021 to Question 41749 on State Retirement Pensions: Administrative Delays, when she first became aware of the backlog; and what steps her Department took to notify those people facing payment delays.

The number of State Pension claims awaiting processing increased as a result of Pandemic and its consequences.

We are prioritising any State Pension claims that are currently overdue and claims where the customer is close to their date of entitlement.

We send an SMS text message to customers to let them know that their claim has been received and is being processed, with written confirmation of their award by post.