§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what efforts are being made to ensure that pensioners entitled to back-dated payments for winter fuel allowance are(a) made aware of their entitlement and (b) given guidance on how to claim. [156341]
§ Mr. RookerAn information campaign has been running since last April. Its aim is to ensure that existing and potential customers know about changes to the scheme and what, if anything, they need to do to get a payment. It is up to the individual to choose whether to claim payments for past winters. There is no time limit on claiming payments for previous years of the scheme.