The Office of National Statistics estimated that in 2021, the last year for which complete figures are available, 3.3 million people aged 65 years and over were living alone in England and Wales, which amounts to over 30% of the older population.

Over the past year and a half, food prices, energy bills and other costs have hit record highs and we have seen their sharpest rise in a generation.  In my view, this increase in the cost-of-living emphasises the importance of Pension Credit, which is intended to provide support for pensioners on very modest incomes.

Pension Credit is especially important for single pensioners, who make up the majority of claimants, because it provides single pensioners with more than couples claiming it receive individually. It was therefore a relief that the Government announced that the value of both Pension Credit and the State Pension will rise by 8.5% in the financial year 2024/25.

However, I remain concerned that the Government is failing to encourage sufficient take-up of Pension Credit.  In my view it is telling that a former Pensions Minister, speaking in October 2022 while in post, conceded that take up of Pension Credit has been too low.

The financial consequences of not claiming it are very serious.  This includes the non-payment of tens of millions of pounds-worth of support, such as a reduction in heating bills through the Warm Homes Discount, and a continued entitlement to a free TV licence, funded by the BBC, for those aged over 75.

I believe that it is wrong that so many pensioners on lower incomes are missing out on this vital financial help.  I know that Ministers cite a £1.2 million public awareness campaign, but I fear that it is still failing to achieve sufficient success.

In addition, I know that research from Loughborough University suggests that the failure to deliver Pension Credit to all those who are entitled to it is resulting in £4 billion a year of increased NHS and social care spending.  This highlights how the non-take-up of Pension Credit can impose large additional costs elsewhere.

For all these reasons, my Opposition Colleagues and I will continue to call on Ministers to do much more to make people aware of Pension Credit and to encourage far greater take-up of it.  A clear action plan to do this is needed as quickly as possible.

You can find out more about Pension Credit, and whether you can claim it, here: https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim