Winter Fuel Payments (Hansard, 19 October 1998)

§ 5. Mr. Christopher Chope (Christchurch)
If he will make a statement about winter fuel payments for the coming winter. [53471]

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security (Angela Eagle)
This winter, we will give almost 10 million individuals in more than 7 million pensioner households extra help towards paying their heaviest fuel bill. Details of those payments were announced on 30 July and I wrote to all hon. Members last week providing further information.

§ Mr. Chope
That is all very well, but what are the Government doing to help those many pensioners who were expecting winter fuel payments last year and have not received them? My constituent, Mrs. Hinton, has been told that she will get her payment tomorrow. Many thousands of other pensioners are suffering, not only from that incompetence on the Government's part, but because of the failure of the new national insurance recording system—NIRS 2—in Newcastle, which is depriving many newly widowed people and pensioners of their entitlement based on a lifetime's contributions. The Government are not caring about those people.

§ Angela Eagle
It is nice to see that the hon. Gentleman is so caring. It was the Conservative Government who ordered the NIRS 2 computer system. More than 10 million payments went out at very short notice last year, when the new scheme was announced, and less than 1 per cent. went to the wrong place or did not turn up; the hon. Gentleman is being very churlish. This year, we have set up a national helpline, the number of which should be in the letter that I sent him: it is 0645 151515 941 If any of his constituents have problems claiming the money that the Conservative Government never gave to pensioners to help them with their heaviest fuel bill—the Labour Government have committed nearly £1 billion for that in this Parliament—the helpline operators will be more than happy to help them.

§ Mr. Bruce Grocott (Telford)
During the summer, when she read through the mountains of Department files and briefing notes from civil servants, did my hon. Friend come across any letters of apology from the Tories for imposing VAT on fuel for our pensioners?

§ Angela Eagle
Funnily enough, I did not come across a single such letter, but I think that the Tories owe the pensioners of this country an apology for the appalling way in which they were treated in the 18 years of Tory power.

§ Mr. Eric Pickles (Brentwood and Ongar)
I congratulate the Minister on her new position. Given that the policy was announced in July, why was it felt necessary to repackage it in October without providing any new money? Can she explain to pensioner groups in my constituency and throughout the country why the Government spent a sum that would have provided winter payments for the whole of Greater Manchester on a misleading advertising campaign that left an awful lot money—more than 1 per cent.—unclaimed in post offices, because people thought that it would arrive on the doorstep? Will she ensure that no more propaganda will be paid for by ratepayers and that money will go to pensioners as it should?

§ Angela Eagle
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his first appearance at the Dispatch Box. It is important that he remembers that the information campaign is designed to ensure that pensioners know that the money is coming, so that if there is a cold snap they do not worry about turning up their heating. They know that they will get £50 help at the end of November if they are on income support and £20 by January if they are not on income support. No pensioner needs to worry about turning the heating up if there is a cold snap. The information campaign is to reassure pensioners that the money is on its way.

§ Mrs. Margaret Ewing (Moray)
I welcome the progress that has been made on what is a serious issue for our society, but does the Minister's estimate of the number of pensioners on income support who are eligible to claim the £50 payment coincide with the estimate produced by Age Concern? There seems to be a difference and we must ensure that everyone who is eligible claims. On the subject of the special payments that may be made, are we to continue to rely on the geographical niceties of the various weather monitoring stations? Or will the wind chill factor—a great concern to people in my area of the north-east of Scotland—be taken into account?

§ Angela Eagle
The hon. Lady asks about the number of pensioners who are entitled to income support but who do not claim it. My hon. Friend the Minister of State has already explained to the House some of the pilot schemes designed to encourage people to claim. Any pensioners who are entitled to income support should claim it before 942 9 November, because that is the qualifying week for the payments. If they do not claim by then, they might lose out on the extra £50. Our estimates vary at between 750,000 and 1 million pensioners, but it is not possible to be precise. We do not quibble too much with Age Concern's estimate, and we join it in trying to persuade pensioners who think that they are eligible for income support to claim it at their local office. That will give them access to the extra £50 payment which will be paid by the end of November.