Alan Reid MP has called on the Government to make every effort to identify the nearly 3,000 Argyll & Bute pensioners who are missing out on Cold Weather Payments to which they are entitled.
 
Mr Reid was speaking after official Government figures indicated that nearly 3,000 Argyll & Bute pensioners who were entitled to Cold Weather Payments during the recent very cold spell did not receive them. This is because they have not claimed for Pension Credit. Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit.
 
Mr Reid said, “It is a scandal that pensioners on the breadline are missing out on these payments. Fuel prices are at an all time high, making Cold Weather Payments all the more important to people already struggling on a poverty pension.
 
“The Labour Government has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help, such as pension credit and cold weather payments, which they desperately need.
 
“The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash.”
 
NOTES: Pensioners on a low income should phone 0800 99 1234 to find out if they are entitled to Pension Credit.
 
Official Government estimates are that about a third of pensioners who are entitled to Pension Credit do not receive it. Given that almost 6,000 pensioners in Argyll & Bute do receive Pension Credit, nearly 3,000 must be entitled to it, but do not receive it. Not getting Pension Credit means that they do not get Cold Weather Payments either.