§ 13. Mr. Ross:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make a statement on the take-up of (a) pension credit and (b) minimum income guarantee in Scotland. [140757]
§ Mrs. McGuire:Minimum income guarantee was replaced by pension credit on 6 October 2003. The Pension Service are writing to all pensioner households to give them information and to invite them to apply. Those who apply within the first 12 months will have their awards backdated to the first date of entitlement.
Two hundred and two thousand pensioner households in Scotland are already receiving pension credit.
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§ John Barrett:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many pensioners in Scotland are in receipt of the pension credit. [140754]
§ Mrs. McGuire:As at the end of October, 202,000 pensioner households in Scotland were already receiving pension credit.