Winter Fuel Payments (Hansard, 16 July 1998)

§ Mr. Denham

Winter Fuel payments are one of a number of initiatives the Government have taken to help vulnerable people, especially the elderly, keep warm in the winter. A total of £400 million has been committed for two years (1997–98 and 1998–99), to help pensioners with fuel bills to pay. This is the first time any Government have provided additional help with heating costs to all pensioners living in the United Kingdom who receive a retirement pension or one of a number of other qualifying benefits.

The making of this year's payments has been an enormous and unprecedented exercise. In order to establish all eligible pensioners, correctly identify pensioner households, and determine the amount each should receive, it was necessary to correlate data. This involved 15 million computer records, covering 15 qualifying benefits, across nine computer systems. Overall, almost ten million pensioners, in over seven million households, have received a payment.

The administration of Winter Fuel payments is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Roger Gale, dated 14 July 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking what estimate she has made of the number of winter fuel payments sent to local Post Offices for distribution and returned as unclaimed to the Department and how many remain outstanding and unpaid at 30th June 1998. Around 5 million pensioners paid by order book had to collect their winter fuel payment girocheque at the Post Office when they called to collect their normal weekly pension payment. We have estimated that around 107,000 (2 per cent. of the volume issued) were not collected and were returned to the nearest Benefits Agency (BA) office. 294W The vast majority of all eligible pensioners should now have received their winter fuel payments, with the exception of a small number where BA is having difficulties ascertaining the reason for non-collection at the Post Office. Where someone has not received a payment, but is expecting one, they should contact the office which normally deals with their pension or benefit. Thank you for the opportunity to explain the position.