The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with their rising bills.<\/p>
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From April 2023, benefits and the State Pension, including the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee, were increased by 10.1%, in line with prices in the year to September 2022.<\/p>
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Over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits, including the 1.4 million pensioners currently in receipt of Pension Credit, will receive additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900 in the 2023/24 financial year.<\/p>
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In addition, over 8 million pensioner households will receive a £300 pensioner Cost of Living Payment as a top up to their winter fuel payment increasing payments to £500 for those aged 66-79 and £600 for those aged 80 and over.<\/p>
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Specific statistics relating to the pensioner Cost of Living Payments are not available. However, the latest available winter fuel payment statistics (2021/22) show that 14,352 customers in Coventry North East and 46,614 customers in Coventry received a winter fuel payment. We expect a similar number of customers will receive the pensioner Cost of Living Payments in 2022/23 and 2023/24.<\/p>
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The DWP continues to work with stakeholders and others to raise awareness of Pension Credit nationwide, with a recent push for pensioners to apply before 19 May 2023 to receive the first £301 Cost of Living payment resulting in a 171% spike in claims over the two-week period before the deadline \u2013 over 20,000 claims.<\/p>
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The latest campaign boost was this month\u2019s Pension Credit \u2018Week of Action\u2019 12-16 June. DWP joined forces with a whole range of partners to raise awareness and promote take-up of Pension Credit.\u2002As part of the Pension Credit \u2018Week of Action\u2019, I wrote to all MPs on 10 June encouraging them to hold their own community event.<\/p>
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On 12 June I announced a new innovative \u201cInvitation to Claim\u201d trial which will launch across 10 local authorities in Great Britain this Summer. This will involve DWP sending letters to approximately 2,600 pensioner households identified via Housing Benefit data as being most likely to be entitled to Pension Credit and encouraging them to contact DWP and make a claim.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4780", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Laura Trott"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sevenoaks"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Laura Trott"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-06-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-06-27T12:53:18.463Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-06-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pensioners: Coventry"} , "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, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support pensioners with increases in the cost of living in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"} ], "uin" : "190840"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1006155", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1006155/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Lane Rental Scheme mentioned is available to all highway authorities that wish to use it and that apply to the Secretary of State in line with bidding guidance published in September 2018.<\/p>
Highways England believe that they have sufficient powers under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, and other procedures in place, to encourage utility companies to complete works on the Strategic Road Network quickly and effectively. The Department has not made any decision to exclude authorities from Lane Rental Schemes.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3991", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jesse Norman"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hereford and South Herefordshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jesse Norman"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-19T17:25:30.723Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Road Works"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will reverse its decision not to extend the lane rental scheme to trunk roads operated by Highways England.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3917", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Walney"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Barrow and Furness"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "John Woodcock"} ], "uin" : "190840"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }