HC Deb 18 December 2000 vol 360 cc76-7W
36. Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reason the Winter Fuel Allowance has been increased to £200 for the current year only; and what the administrative cost is of this change. [142146]

Mr. Rooker

As part of the transitional arrangements to our new pension reform, we decided to increase the Winter Fuel Payment—for this winter only—to £200. This is double the amount paid last winter to qualifying households.

Within the overall context of the scheme as a whole, the extra cost of making this change is likely to be very small.

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many automatic payments of winter fuel payment are outstanding; and how many of these he expects to have been paid by Christmas. [143090]

Mr. Rooker

All automatic payments where a clear entitlement has been established have been issued.

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how many men aged 60 to 64 years are eligible to receive backdated payments of winter fuel payment; and how many had not applied to receive a backdated payment by the deadline of 3 November 2000. [143091]

Mr. Rooker

We estimated that there may be up to 1.7 million men eligible for payments in respect of previous years of the scheme; however, not all of them have claimed. We have already paid 976,495 men who have chosen to claim. There is no deadline for claiming winter fuel payments for past winters.