HC Deb 23 March 1998 vol 309 c59W
25. Mr. Hutton

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement on the action the Government have taken in respect of winter fuel payments for pensioners. [34068]

Mr. Denham

This is the first time any Government have been prepared to help pensioner households with their winter fuel bills. A total of £400 million have been committed to provide extra help for this winter and next to eligible pensioner households.

Around one and a half million pensioners on Income Support have already received a payment of £50. Virtually all of the payments of £20 or £10 to the other eight and a half million eligible pensioners have now been issued. The remaining few will be despatched in the next few days.

Overall, almost ten million payments will have been made to more than seven million pensioner households.

Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what statutory authority the Benefits Agency Office advertises winter fuel payments to pensioners. [35767]

Mr. Denham

The Department's Benefits Agency does not need statutory authority to advertise winter fuel payments to pensioners.

The Agency advertises these payments only to the extent of providing information to the public, in line with the normal Departmental advertising strategy.

Any advertising carried out by the Department is done in support of its policy to explain and inform the public of the government services available to them. Any advertising is carried out in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance issued in July 1997.

Advertising support for the Winter Fuel Payments campaign included national television advertising by the Department. It is in support of this campaign that the Benefits Agency is displaying posters and leaflets.

We wanted pensioners to know what payments are coming to them and how and when, in order to make informed decisions about how to heat their homes. The most cost effective method of reaching pensioners quickly with this important information has been through a multi-media campaign involving highly targeted television advertising.