§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely take-up of the new pension credit; and how many questions pensioners will be required to answer to assess their eligibility. [93884]
§ Mr. McCartneyWe have committed to a target of paying pension credit to at least three million pensioner households by 2006. We have already shortened the minimum income guarantee claim form from 40 to 10 pages. We are designing the pension credit application process to be even simpler, including use of the telephone for most applications. The number of questions that a pensioner is required to answer in order to assess their eligibility to pension credit will depend on their individual circumstances.