The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently examining an extensive form that retirees need to fill out to receive the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance, amid rising concerns that the document’s complexity may deter them. The form is an integral part of the application for DWP Pension Credit, presenting a daunting 243 questions.
The government has removed the Winter Fuel Payment for around 10 million pensioners with only those claiming Pensions Credit eligible – but many have been unable to contend with the horrendously complicated applications process – and it is estimated around 800,000 people who should get the benefit help which is worth about £3,900 extra a year, fail to apply.
On Monday (November 11), in Parliament, the Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds conceded that the form presented a considerable burden, acknowledging its excessive length during Commons questioning. She declared her commitment to tackling the existing backlog in Pension Credit applications “before older people start having to make the choice between heating and eating”.
In the midst of Monday’s Commons session, Ms Reynolds reassured fellow MPs: “We are looking at the form. Ninety percent of applicants now apply online but we know that the paper form is very long and we’re looking to see what we can do to simplify it.”
Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, David Burton-Sampson, questioned the efforts being made to streamline the pension credit claiming process, to which Ms Reynolds affirmed to the House: “The Government remains absolutely committed to supporting pensioners. We urge pensioners to check their eligibility for pension credit to ensure as many people as possible have access to the support which they are entitled to.”
Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, has expressed her worries about the Department for Work and Pensions’ alleged delay in releasing additional data on pension credit applications. She said: “I’m concerned that the Government knows it will not be able to process these applications on time and that this information is not being put into the public domain.”
She questioned whether the backlog would be cleared before elderly people are forced to choose between heating and food: “So will the minister be able to tell me exactly how many pension credit applications have been submitted since September 16, and if the backlog will be cleared before older people start having to make the choice between heating and eating? ” In response, Ms Reynolds assured: “I gently say to her we are not delaying the publication of statistics and there will be a new set of statistics which will be published soon.”
Earlier, the minister noted that while there is no specific target for pension credit applications, the government had received approximately 74,400 pension credit claims from the end of July through mid-September.
