UP TO 100,000 WELSH PENSIONERS WILL MISS OUT ON COLD WEATHER PAYMENTS -

9.41.00am GMT Thu 14th Jan 2010

Up to 100,000 pensioners in Wales will miss out on Cold Weather Payments triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats.

Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, which goes unclaimed by as many as 1.7m pensioners across the UK.

Commenting, Delyn's Welsh Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Bill Brereton said:

"In Delyn over two thousand pensioners will miss out on this payment.

"It is a scandal that pensioners on the breadline are missing out on these payments, worth an estimated £2.5m.

With many people struggling to heat their homes in the cold weather, particularly those who are not on the mains gas network, these payments are extremely important to help vulnerable people stay warm.

"The Pension Credit system is far too complex and Labour have failed millions of pensioners by failing to ensure they get the extra help they need.

"The Government must do everything they can to identify pensioners in Wales and across the UK who are missing out and get them this extra cash, and in the long term introduce automated payments."

ENDS

Notes:

1. People can get Cold Weather Payments worth £25 when temperatures are below zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days when they claim a qualifying benefit.http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Inretirement/DG_10018668

2. Pension Credit is a qualifying benefit yet Department for Work and Pensions figures for 2007-08 (the most recent available) show that between 1.1m and 1.7m pensioners who are poor enough to qualify for Pension Credit do not claim, meaning they won't receive Cold Weather Payments to help with fuel bills during the recent cold snap http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/income_analysis/jun_2009/0708_PensionCredit.pdf

3. In Delyn 4,520 people are eligible, but 2,260, are not receiving the payment.