§ Mr. Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Have you received a request from a Work and Pensions Minister, or, indeed, from the Minister for Pensions to come to the House to correct a serious error on the record about the treatment of elderly and vulnerable pensioners? On 20 May, in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Mr. Roy), the Minister for Pensions said:
Older people will have the choice of doing their business through pension centres … or receiving home visits … By providing that choice, we will make improvements for the older pensioners who need to access such services from time to time."—[Official Report, 20 May 2002; Vol. 386, c. 4.]It has become apparent since the Department produced a briefing in late June that pensioners will not have the choice of a home visit before using the service. Most of them will have to take themselves to pension centres, many of which are located in places that are inconvenient for them. That constitutes a serious deceit of many elderly and vulnerable people. Have the essential steps been taken for the Government to rectify the impression that they gave the House?
§ The Minister for Pensions (Mr. Ian McCartney)In normal circumstances, that would be treated as a partisan, political point. However, the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Mitchell) has questioned my integrity and I have come to the House to set the matter straight; I have nothing to correct. I thank the hon. Gentleman for at least advising me that he intended to raise the matter in the Chamber.
I want to make it crystal clear that the process of developing the Pension Service and the pension credit has been open and transparent. I have kept hon. Members informed of progress and I shall continue to do that. The hon. Gentleman and his colleagues on the Select Committee on Work and Pensions took evidence from the Pension Service on 12 June. After that session, the Committee asked for additional information on a range of issues, including the scope of the local service. The chief executive provided that on 2 July.
Last Friday, the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), who chairs the Select Committee, wrote to me personally to ask for fuller clarification of the local service, especially the availability of home visits for Pension Service customers. He requested a response in seven working days. I provided a fuller explanation through the Clerk to the Committee. I sent it well within the deadline, which does not expire for a day or so. I believe that it will fully tackle any remaining queries that the Select Committee may have. I shall place all the correspondence in the Library.
I facilitated a visit to a Pension Service site for the hon. Gentleman and his colleagues on the Select Committee. I have extended a similar invitation to all hon. Members who participated in the debates on the State Pension Credit Act 2002. Furthermore, this week, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have written to all hon. Members to set out our plans for presentations to hon. 904 Members and their staff on pension credit and the Pension Service. I intend to keep my promise. I did not mislead the House at any time.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It sounds as if the Speaker does not need to rule on that point of order.
§ Mr. Paul Goodman (Wycombe)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. We have gone too far down that road.
§ Mr. Goodmanrose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. GoodmanI simply seek your guidance, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerPlease sit down. Perhaps you will get my guidance if you come to the Chair at a later stage, but the matter was not really a point of order.
§ Mr. Andrew Mitchellrose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman raised the case and the Minister replied. I do not want to hear any more about it at this stage.
§ Mr. Mitchellrose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.