Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Not Addressed
2024/25 Winter Fuel Payment eligibility poorly targeted, while 2025/26 reforms are welcomed
Conclusion
For winter 2024/25, the Government linked eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment to receipt of Pension Credit. This removed the payment from many who needed it and set the bar for continued payment too low. Up to 760,000 pensioner households do not claim Pension Credit that they are entitled to, and many just above the Pension Credit threshold, for whom this was an addition to the list of passported benefits they miss out on, felt the impact was unfair. We welcome the Government’s decision to make payments automatically to all pensioners in winter 2025/26, recovering it via HMRC from people with incomes of over £35,000. This will mean the payment gets to those who need it. (Conclusion, Paragraph 78)
Government Response Summary
The government notes the committee's comments but responds by outlining its statutory duties regarding equality, steps to strengthen analysis, and its ongoing work on safeguarding from a separate report, without addressing the specific observations about Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Department has a statutory requirement to consider the Public Sector Equality Duty during the decision-making process, including analysing the impact of potential policies which includes older people. We note the Committee’s comments and can confirm that the Department’s Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser is already taking steps to further strengthen such analysis. The recommendations from the WPSC Safeguarding Vulnerable Claimants report have been taken seriously by the department. The Government’s consultation on Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper (www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper) included a question on a new DWP safeguarding approach. Following the consideration of the consultation findings and on conclusion of the Department’s current safeguarding review, the Government will set out its plans. DWP’s new approach to safeguarding will include a clear statement of intent to drive cultural change across all levels of the Department, renew the commitment to safeguarding, promote systems-based approaches, and define DWP’s role in supporting those with safeguarding needs. The Government also recognises the value of assessments of policy changes to be undertaken jointly, with the Chief Medical Advisor working alongside policy officials, to determine the relevance and appropriateness of input, in order to support the effective and efficient functioning of Government.