News story

30th December 2002

31,000 Older People With Empty Christmas Stockings

31,000 older people will not receive Winter Fuel Payments this year because the Government imposes a September 2002 qualifying age deadline. This means that all single people reaching 60 between 22nd September and Christmas day will miss out on the £200 they should be entitled to.

Urging the Government to get its act together, Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said:

“The Department of Work and Pensions prides itself on delivering Winter Fuel Payments to everyone in time for Christmas. But it appears to be incapable of doing a few simple sums to work out that 31,000 will qualify after the closing date, but before Christmas Day.

“I can see no reason why a Government that can start paying pensions within a week of reaching the qualifying age is then unable to use this same information to pay the same people their Winter Fuel Payments.

“The Government’s administrative incompetence has denied 31,000 elderly people a warm Christmas. It’s high time that it stopped playing Scrooge and gave these people the money that should rightfully be theirs.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Older people aged 60 and over by the qualifying date receive a winter fuel payment each year. This is worth £200 per household.

2. The Government aims to make these payments by Christmas. It maintains that this requires a qualifying cut-off date in mid-September. This means that people reaching 60 between this cut-off date and Christmas day are not entitled to the payment at all this year, despite being the qualifying age when the payment is made to others.

3. We know that the Government already has access to all the relevant information concerning the ages of pensioners, because it pays them their pensions in the week that they reach 60. It surely follows that the DWP can find out from its own information the people who will reach 60 between the qualifying week and Christmas Day.

4. Steve Webb received the following written answer from the Department for Work and Pensions:

16 December 2002 Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many single (a) women and (b) men in 2002 will reach the age of 60 years after the qualifying week for winter fuel payment eligibility, but before 25 December. [87601]
Mr. McCartney: It is estimated that around 18,000 single women will attain the age of 60 after the qualifying week (16 to 22 September) and before 25 December 2002 in Great Britain. It is estimated that around 13,000 single men will attain the age of 60 after the qualifying week (16 to 22 September) and before 25 December 2002 in Great Britain.
Note: The figures have been calculated using the latest GAD population projections and the Family Resources Survey.