Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people affected by delays in initiating payment of the state pension to those who reach the appropriate retirement age; and if she will make a statement.

This information is not collated as part of normal business and is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Normal processes have now returned and payments are back to normal times. Where we are awaiting additional information to process a customer’s claim, these claims will be actioned on receipt of the required information.