Recipients of Winter Fuel Payments are free to use them in the way they choose, including donating them to a charity of their choice. There is evidence that some people choose to do this already.<\/p>
<\/p>
Currently the Department cannot estimate the potential cost of this specific proposal, but is always open to suggestions from the chair of the WPSC. Digital reform of the Winter Fuel Payment Service is underway and will mean that from 2020/21 the Department could consider using newer technologies that may offer more flexibility over making improvements to the letters. As with the development of all digital services, user research will be an important factor in improving the letters to ensure they meet everyone\u2019s needs, and in particular that the needs of vulnerable people are carefully considered.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4142", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Guy Opperman"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hexham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Guy Opperman"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-20T14:21:20.71Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-05-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Winter Fuel Payment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an estimate of the potential cost of amending annual Winter Fuel Payment letters to include a paragraph inviting recipients to donate their payment to a charitable cause.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/478", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birkenhead"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Frank Field"} ], "uin" : "252837"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1060674", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1060674/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Winter fuel payments give reassurance, particularly to poorer pensioners that they can keep warm during the colder months. The DWP currently issues around 12 million winter fuel payments. Introducing an option on the notification for customers to donate their winter fuel payment would introduce complexity to the process. Recipients are of course free to donate the payment to a charity of their choice.<\/p>
<\/p>
The DWP also has a process in place should a recipient wish to return their payment. In these circumstances the customer should return the payment to the relevant benefit office, the address of which can be found at the top of the notification.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4142", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Guy Opperman"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hexham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Guy Opperman"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-02-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-02-18T17:28:49.137Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-02-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Winter Fuel Payment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will consider amending the annual Winter Fuel Payment letters to give pensioners a clear option, should they decide they do not require the money, of donating their payment to a charitable fund which helps to keep low-income families with children warm during the winter months.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/478", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birkenhead"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Frank Field"} ], "uin" : "220800"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100277", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100277/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Information about how many in-work working-age households received Winter Fuel Payments in 2013-14 is not available.<\/p>
<\/p>
The table below shows the number of people aged under 65 receiving a Winter Fuel Payment and the associated expenditure in years 2009-10 to 2018-19 inclusive:<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> <\/p><\/td> Expenditure (£m)<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Caseload (000s)<\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2009/10<\/p><\/td> 640.8<\/p><\/td> 3,358<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2010/11<\/p><\/td> 624.1<\/p><\/td> 3,265<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2011/12<\/p><\/td> 451.5<\/p><\/td> 2,927<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2012/13<\/p><\/td> 385.4<\/p><\/td> 2,484<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2013/14<\/p><\/td> 324.1<\/p><\/td> 2,056<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2014/15<\/p><\/td> 268.2<\/p><\/td> 1,714<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2015/16<\/p><\/td> 215.8<\/p><\/td> 1,389<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2016/17<\/p><\/td> 157.1<\/p><\/td> 1,019<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2017/18<\/p><\/td> 85.8<\/p><\/td> 563<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2018/19<\/p><\/td> 14.8<\/p><\/td> 95<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> <\/p> Notes<\/strong><\/p> Numbers are for Winter Fuel Payments made to those eligible in Great Britain, European Economic Area and Switzerland aged 60-64: outturn to 2013-14; forecast 2014/15 onwards.<\/p> Winter Fuel Payments in 2009-10 and 2010-11 included one-off £50 payments for the under 80s.<\/p> One of the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility criteria is a person\u2019s age in the qualifying week (the third full week in September). This age has been rising in line with the increase to the female State Pension age.<\/p> <\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Webb"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-24T13:51:22.2557081Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Winter Fuel Payment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many in-work working-age households received winter fuel payments in 2013-14; what estimate he has made of how many such households will be claiming winter fuel payments in each of the next four financial years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of equalising the state pension age for men and women on the take-up of winter fuel payments.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/478", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birkenhead"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Frank Field"}
], "uin" : "211255"}
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