§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to write to every pensioners group in the country giving details of the790W compensation package he announced in the Budget for all pensioners as a consequence of tax increases; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 15 February 1994]: Efforts were made on Budget day to make the details available to pensioner groups.
§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to publicise the compensation package he announced in the Budget for all pensioners as a consequence of tax increases; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 15 February 1994]: The package of assistance with fuel bills announced in the November Budget was the subject of a press release, and has received widespread publicity at the time of the Budget and since. All pensioners will have received notification of the increase in the state retirement pension by 1 April 1994.
Leaflets offering information on the home energy efficiency scheme (HEES), which is to be extended to cover all pensioners, are supplied free of charge to local authorities, housing benefit offices, housing associations, citizens advice bureaux, the Benefits Agency, jobcentres, Age Concern and other organisations which have contact with HEES client group. The Energy Action Grants Agency (EAGA), which is responsible for administering the HEES, also encourages installers to promote HEES locally by means of advertising, press publicity and distribution of their own leaflets.
The Department for National Savings ran advertisements in the national press for the new pensioners' guaranteed income bond between 21 January and 13 February. The prospectus for the bond is available from all post offices and on request from the DNS office in Blackpool.