§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the Government's policy is on unclaimed benefits among the elderly in Scotland. [35529]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe Government are committed to ensuring that elderly people eligible for benefits achieve their legal entitlement and that the poorest among our pensioners have a guaranteed minimum income. The minimum income guarantee (MIG) is paid to around 181,000 claimants aged 60 or over in Scotland.
In May 2000 we launched a national take-up campaign writing to 2 million pensioners across the UK, informing them about MIG. Since October last year, callers to the Retirement Pension Telecentre, who are not in receipt of MIG but identified as possible claimants, have been encouraged to claim. Pensioners claiming retirement pension by post are sent a MIG leaflet.
We are looking at options to prompt automatically the issue of a claim for MIG following certain key life events, for example when a pensioner reaches age 75 or 80 or when another benefit is awarded. We are also working in partnership with organisations for older people to improve access to benefits and take-up of the MIG. This includes projects on a national good practice guide and a survey of local take-up initiatives.