Clause 1 - Entitlement
State Pension Credit Bill [Lords]
4:30 pm
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere, Conservative)
I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Atkinson, and I look forward to serving under you.
The amendments address the extent of the take-up of the pension credit and the relationship between that and saving. We hope that the Minister will regard the modest but constructive amendments in a helpful spirit.
Amendment No. 19 addresses the question of take-up. Much of what has been said about the pension credit has been postulated on the basis of a take-up of 100 per cent. However, we know from other income-related benefits that take-up will be much less than that—I believe that the Government accept that. Indeed, the Department for Work and Pensions stated in its memorandum to the Select Committee on Work and Pensions that the assumed take-up for the pension credit is 67 per cent. in its first year. However, the Department was unable to satisfy completely the Committee on the level of take-up in subsequent years. I venture that because the Committee concluded:
''We were concerned about the Department for Work and Pensions' inability to produce reasonable estimates for such an important figure as the take-up of a key Government benefit. We urge the Government to set out clear, and achievable, targets for levels of take-up of the Pension Credit.''