§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of men in their sixties who have been denied the winter fuel allowance because of missing the deadline for claims, in each year for which figures are available. [90855]
§ Malcolm Wicks[holding answer 16 January 2003]: The information is not held in the format requested. However, there have been around 13,800 late claims made in respect of the 2000–01 winter and around 5,100 in respect of the 2001–02 winter. For winters prior to 2000–01 claims for winter fuel payments are not time-limited.