§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost of implementing a national minimum income guarantee for pensioners; how he will ensure that pensioners are made aware of what they can claim; how much he is expecting to spend on public awareness campaigns; and if he will make a statement. [124547]
§ Mr. BayleyDuring the lifetime of this Parliament the extra total cost of the minimum income guarantee (MIG) for pensioners over and above the cost of Income Support for which pensioners were previously eligible is estimated to be £2.2 billion pounds in real terms.
One 29 May the MIG Take-up Campaign was launched to encourage pensioners who may be entitled to claim their MIG. Around £15 million will be spent over the course of the campaign which includes national TV advertising, writing to around two million pensioners whose records indicate that they may be entitled, and the introduction of a tele-claims centre with specially trained operators who can help complete the paperwork to claim the MIG.
Since the launch was announced at the end of March, there have already been around 50,000 calls to the tele-claims centre, and 24,000 MIG claim packs have been sent to pensioners.