PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 2002
Members present:
Mr Archy Kirkwood, in the Chair
| Miss Anne Begg | Mr Andrew Mitchell
|
| Ms Karen Buck | James Purnell
|
| Mr Andrew Dismore | Mr Andrew Selous
|
| Mrs Joan Humble | Mr David Stewart
|
| Rob Marris | |
The Committee deliberated.
Draft Report [Pension Credit], proposed by the Chairman, brought
up and read.
Ordered, That the Draft Report be read a second time, paragraph
by paragraph.
Paragraph 1 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 2 to 9 read and agreed to.
Paragraphs 10 and 11 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 12 to 14 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 15 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 16 to 18 read and agreed to.
Paragraphs 19 and 20 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 21 to 31 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 32 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 33 and 34 read and agreed to.
Paragraphs 35 to 37 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 38 to 41 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 42 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraph 43 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 44 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 45 and 46 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 47 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 48 to 51 read and agreed to.
A paragraph—(Mr Andrew Dismore)—brought up,
read the first and second time, amended and inserted (now paragraph
52).
Paragraph 52 (now 53) read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 53 to 56 (now 54 to 57) read and agreed to.
Paragraphs 57 to 59 (now 58 to 60) read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraph 60 read, as follows:
Ensuring that all those who are entitled claim their Pension Credit
must be a priority for the Department of Work and Pensions because
those pensioners who do not take-up the Credit will, by the very
nature of the benefit, be amongst the poorest in the country.
While we welcome the innovative steps that the DWP has already
taken, it must go further in increasing the levels of take-up
beyond those currently seen with the MIG. The onus for increasing
take-up must rest ultimately with the Department, not individual
pensioners.
Paragraph disagreed to.
Paragraph 61 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 62 to 84 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 85 read, amended and agreed to.
Paragraphs 86 to 90 read and agreed to.
Summary—(The Chairman)—brought up, read
the first and second time and added.
Resolved, That the Report, as amended, be the Second Report
of the Committee to the House.
Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Report to the House.
Ordered, That the provisions of Standing Order No. 134
(Select committees (reports)) be applied to the Report.
Several papers were ordered to be appended to the Minutes of Evidence.—(The
Chairman.)
Ordered, That the Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence
taken before the Committee be reported to the House.—(The
Chairman.)
[Adjourned till Wednesday 17 April at half-past Ten o'clock.
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