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DWP says friends and family key in greater pension credit take-up
25 February 2008 12:00
The Department of Work and pensions (DWP) has called on the public to encourage elderly friends and relatives to check whether they are eligible for pension credit.
Recent research by the DWP revealed that over a third of Britons are worried that an older friend or family member is missing out on this benefit, which guarantees an income of £119.05 a week to single pensioners and £181.70 to couples.
Pensions minister Mike O'Brien explained that many older people mistakenly believe they are not entitled to pension credit and thus miss out on money that could help them with their housing, heating and council tax costs.
He therefore urged Britons to intervene by using the DWP's online calculator to see if their elderly loved ones do qualify and then by assuring them that possession of a home or of some savings does not make them ineligible for this assistance.
The pensions Advisory Service's technical director Des Hamilton recently asserted that this ignorance over state pension issues is being fuelled by the media's reluctance to give them much coverage due to their perceived complexity and dullness.
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