§ The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith)The Government are well advanced in their preparations for the delivery of Pension Credit from October 2003.
We have recruited extra staff and invested in new infrastructure to meet the additional demands of the new entitlement and we are making best use of the phased take-on during the advanced applications stage 7WS in the lead up to October. Not only will this prove our systems, but it will also ensure that we learn from experience before the main take-on begins.
An existing, tried and tested computer system will be used to process applications and to make payments from October. We are writing to pensioner households giving them information about Pension Credit and inviting them to apply for it. A freephone telephone application line is fully operational and is taking applications now.
We are also working with partner organisations, such as Help The Aged, Age Concern and Citizens Advice, amongst others, both at a national and local level, to encourage eligible people to take up their entitlement. I can now report the following progress on applications for Pension Credit. There are over 1.1 million pensioner households already on our systems, ready to be paid Pension Credit from October.
We are making good progress in transferring those receiving Minimum Income Guarantee automatically onto Pension Credit and will have transferred all these cases by October.
There is plenty of time for pensioners to apply for Pension Credit. To ensure pensioners do not lose out, there will be a twelve month backdating provision until October 2004. This will allow applications to be backdated to October 2003 where entitlement exists or to the date entitlement begins, if this is later.
In September we will be launching a major advertising campaign on TV and in the press ready for the main launch in October.
I am placing a chart showing progress so far in the Library.