Fresh benefits approach by Finance News Bulletin

Published: 22/12/07

The government must pace up efforts to get more pensioners to maintain benefits, the Public Accounts Committee has saidNearly a third of pensioners who are eligible for Pension praise - up to 16 million populace - are not claiming itNew thinking was needed to increase take-up, counting allowing pensioners to claim linked benefits through a solitary transaction, the Committee said

But Committee chairman Edward Leigh supposed that "good progress" had been made of late in boosting take-upThe truth is that the Department's approaches to give confidence take-up of benefits are suffering from the law of diminishing returnsHowever, the Committee said that the government's 2006 target of 3 million pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit had been missed by a margin of 300,000 peopleIt added that the Department for labor and pensions (DWP) was likely to miss its 2008 take-up target tooin general, though, since 2003-04 the take-up of retirement fund Credit had risen from 61% of those eligible to 69%, owing to better co-ordination across administration

But the Committee noted that the take-up of other key reimbursement such as housing and council duty benefit was actually falling"The truth is that the Department's approaches to give confidence take-up of benefits are suffering from the law of diminishing income," said Edward Leigh MP, Chairman of the group of Public Accounts"Many pensioners undergo from privation, and new and imaginative thinking is needed to encourage them to maintain the benefits which can create a big difference to their quality of life," he addedAnnuity reform Women 1 Women 2 Pension rights Divorce labor pensions Lump sums Pension Credit ice-covered pensions Shortfalls Overseas pension little pensions Tax and pensions Pension repair Made simpleState pension With-profits Final pay Money purchase Annuities Serps State Second Pension

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