§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of eligible retirement pensioners do not at present claim their pension; and what is the total amount unclaimed.
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§ Mr. MeacherAs it is not known until a claim is made whether all the conditions for entitlement to a pension are satisfied, the proportion of people who are eligible but do not claim, and the amount unclaimed, cannot be ascertained. A person approaching pension age whose record indicates that he may be entitled to a pension is, however, invited to claim one and in all but a very small number of cases he does so.