Benefit Take-up (Hansard, 24 February 2003)

§ Mr. McCartney

In August 2002, there were approximately 7,900 customers receiving the minimum income guarantee in the London Borough of Southwark and approximately 3,200 receiving attendance allowance.

The information regarding the average take-up rate of minimum income guarantee for 1999–2000, the latest financial year for which estimates are available, can be found in the DWP publication, "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 1999–2000". A copy is placed in the Library.

The next edition of the report containing estimates for 2000–01 will be released on 27 March 2003.

Our fundamental priority is to put money in the pockets of pensioners who need it. The MIG take up campaign has put an average £20 a week extra in the pockets of 144,000 elderly people who would not have received it otherwise. These people would have lost out so the campaign undoubtedly achieved value for money.

Because the MIG is more generous and the limits on capital have been increased, there has been a natural increase in the number of people who could claim. Our overall policy is, and will continue to be, that we will get as many eligible pensioners as possible to claim their entitlement to the MIG.

Pension credit will be introduced in October 2003 and we have developed a strategy to ensure maximum take-up.

First, we will transfer existing MIG recipients to pension credit ready for payments to be made from October 2003;

Second, we will run mass advertising (TV and Press) from September 2003 to launch pension credit and advise pensioners and their friends and family of how The Pension Service and partner organisations can support them to consider and take-up entitlement;

Third, we will write to all pensioners not already receiving MIG over the take-on period (through to October 2004) to help them consider any entitlement to pension credit and encourage those likely to be eligible to apply; and

189W

Fourth, we will work with local partners to help support the communications to pensioners, and tailor marketing and communications activity accordingly.

We will review the take-up position during autumn 2004 and take any further action that may be necessary.

The DWP set up the Partnerships against Poverty Forum for England and Wales as a working group in 2001 with the Local Government Association and voluntary organisations to develop joint working to improve take-up of minimum income guarantee.

The group has, on a national basis, identified and developed a number of initiatives to improve access to entitlements and for the take-up of MIG by older people. The group has been instrumental in helping to develop products such as the shorter minimum income guarantee (MIG) claim form, the new MIG leaflet and the "At a Glance" and "Good Practice Guides", which all support the take-up of benefit entitlements. It also regularly reviews new and revised leaflets and has provided invaluable feedback into the training packages developed by The Pension Service local service.

The Partnership Against Poverty members quickly recognised that the issues that adversely impact the take-up of entitlements by black and minority ethnic (BME) elders needed to be addressed separately. To support this, a sub-group was established.

One of the first tasks of the group was to commission research into the barriers to look specifically at the problems faced by black and minority ethnic elder communities. The research will be qualitative and based around seven case studies looking at different groups. One of these is looking at the black African communities in Southwark.

Take-up is encouraged through local services via their drop-in surgeries in Southwark. These take place frequently in partnership with local groups and organisations. These are Peckham One Stop, Black Elderly Group of Southwark, South Asian Elderly Organisation, Blackfriars Settlement and at the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre.

In terms of attendance allowance, it is not possible to be precise about the number of pensioners who might be entitled if they claimed it. This is because entitlement to AA is determined on the customer's specific circumstances, which can only be determined after a claim has been made. Up-to-date estimates of the take up of AA and disability living allowance are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sutton Disability Benefits Centre undertake a number of targeted local activities to promote awareness of AA in the area it serves, which includes the London Borough of Southwark. This includes training and awareness sessions for Pension Service staff and external organisations.

Notes on the minimum income guarantee figure:

1. Based on a 5 per cent. sample, therefore subject to sampling variation.

2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands.

3. MIG claimants are defined as any live income support benefit unit where the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 and over.

190W

4. Local authority is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.

Source:

Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 2002.

Note on the attendance allowance figure:

Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.

Source:

IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample.