Conclusions and recommendations
1. The Department has increased the number
of people claiming Pension Credit to one million more than claimed
the Minimum Income Guarantee, but its PSA target did not address
the Department's wider aim of providing pensioners with access
to all the benefits and services to which they are entitled.
The Department published baseline indicators of the independence
and well-being of older people in October 2006. It should use
these indicators as a basis for devising a wider poverty reduction
target for The Pension Service in the same way as the Government
devised its target for reducing child poverty.
2. The Pension Service shares its objective
of increasing older people's well-being with primary health and
housing providers, but does not co-ordinate its approach sufficiently
with these bodies. To achieve their own
objectives of improving the quality of life of vulnerable older
people, Primary Care Trusts need to work with the other key local
agencies such as social housing providers and local authorities
as well as The Pension Service so that older people have a single
access point to the range of services. Despite some recent progress,
The Pension Service has found it easier to develop local joint
working than to reach national agreements. The Department should
explore the scope for a shared target on pensioners' well-being,
encompassing health and income.
3. The Department does not have sufficient
information about pensioners' individual circumstances to identify
all their benefit entitlements. Since
we last reported, The Pension Service's use of data matching and
sharing information between agencies has improved, but it does
not include people outside of the benefits system. Reaching these
people will require different approaches including outreach through
trusted service providers and local voluntary groups, as well
as more co-operation with health professionals. The best strategy
will vary between areas and the Department should encourage discretion
to develop imaginative ideas which fit local needs.
4. Take-up of Housing Benefit and Council
Tax Benefit, administered by local authorities, has declined in
recent years despite The Pension Service providing pensioners
with a full benefit entitlement check.
The performance of local authorities in managing the benefits
and in providing information and advice are likely causes of local
variability in take-up. The Department should investigate how
these factors impact on take-up of Housing and Council Tax benefits,
and identify best practice which can raise the level of service
to customers in areas of poor performance.
5. The complexity of the eligibility assessment
for disability benefits makes it difficult to measure take-up
rates, and the Department has no targets for its take-up.
In our report on Dealing with the complexity of the benefits
system we recommended a number of actions to reverse the increasing
complexity of the benefits system.[4]
The Department has commissioned research into the feasibility
of measuring Attendance Allowance take-up and exploring the reasons
for non-take-up. The Disability and Carers Service should use
the findings to set a target take-up level at least comparable
with that of Pension Credit.
6. The processes for claiming pensioner benefits
have been simplified but still involve a number of stages which
require customers to understand complex links between disability
and income-related benefits. The Department
needs to allow customers to claim linked benefits through one,
single transaction by:
- removing the need for written
documents in addition to telephone applications;
- linking disability benefit claims automatically
to related entitlements when systems permit; and
- replacing repeat notifications of entitlement
to linked benefits with a single explanation of the customer's
entitlements.
7. The geographical pattern of take-up shows
that older pensioners, pensioners from ethnic minorities and from
more affluent areas are less likely to claim Pension Credit.
There are different approaches to encouraging take-up and different
activities across the country, but only limited awareness of what
works best. More can be achieved by sharing good practice, encouraging
innovative practices and focusing on the areas with lower take-up.
The Department should publicise the good practice identified by
the National Audit Office and the evaluation of the Partnership
Fund to all local authorities and alternative offices.
8. Pensioners in rural areas are also less
likely to claim benefits. Home visits
by the Local Service play a part in securing access to benefits,
but the evidence indicates that take-up is still lower in rural
areas. Where there are fewer other service providers for The Pension
Service to work with, it needs to take advantage of the service
outlets which remain. Notwithstanding post office closures, the
Department should use the remaining post offices as Alternative
Offices and as sources of advice and information to encourage
take-up and access to wider services.
4 Committee of Public Accounts, Thirty-sixth Report
of Session 2005-06, Tackling the complexity of the benefits
system, HC 765 Back
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