Older people living in 25 countries may be due winter heating bill help of up to £600

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that by the end of October, there were more than three million people across the UK claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP), including 329,334 living in Scotland. The figures also show that nearly half a million people of State Pension age are also in receipt of PIP.

< 1 min read A petition with almost 30,000 signatures is calling on the Canadian government to allow transgender and non-binary people to claim asylum in the country due to what it deems “eliminationist laws” in their home countries, including so-called safe Western democracies.

Ryan Reynolds has revealed his family are “doing great” after his wife Blake Lively welcomed the couple’s fourth child. The Hollywood couple announced Lively had given birth on Super Bowl Sunday. In a very low key announcement, The Gossip Girl star posted a picture on Instagram in which the 35-year-old is seen with no sign of a baby bump as she stands between Deadpool star Reynolds, 46, and his mother, Tammy.

Attendance Allowance is a benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for people of State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision because of an illness, disability or mental health condition. Successful claimants will receive either £81.85 or £92.40 each week depending on the level of support they need, which is paid every four weeks and works out at £247.40 and £369.560 respectively.

A new poll conducted by YouGov for StepChange Debt Charity, has revealed that 43 per cent of the UK population, including 48 per cent of Scottish adults, equivalent to more than two million people, have found it difficult to keep up with household bills and credit payments in the last few months.

Basic and New State Pension payments will soon increase by 10.1 per cent for some 12.6 million older people across the country, including around one million living in Scotland. The honouring of the Triple Lock rule means that older people are set for an income boost of up to £75 per month from April.

New figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that at the end of August 2022, there were 1.4 million people receiving Pension Credit, representing a total of 1.6 million beneficiaries in total, including partners.

Paul Mescal reciting the lyrics to the Taylor Swift song ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’ has been released – you can watch it above.The video, in which Mescal simply speaks the lyrics without any music, was shared by W Magazine to coincide with Valentine’s Day.After finishing the recital, Mescal said of the song: “It’s kind of sad, isn’t it?”Mescal, who is best known for his role in the BBC series Normal People, is nominated for Best Actor at this year’s Oscars for his performance in Aftersun. This is his first-ever nomination for an Academy Award.His fellow nominees in the category include Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin) and Bill Nighy (Living).In Aftersun, Mescal plays Callum, a young father trying to connect with his 11-year-old daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) when they go on holiday to a Turkish resort.In a four-star review of Aftersun, NME wrote: “Liable to increase the cult around Mescal, following his BAFTA-winning turn in Normal People, Aftersun may be small in scale, but it leaves a distinct and lasting impression.

Naming a child can often be one of the trickiest decisions for any new parent to make. Afterall, it’s a gift to your child that will follow them for the rest of their lives. Do you go traditional or unique? Do you pay tribute to a relative or find something completely new entirely? For Molly Mae Hague and Tommy Fury, the couple went with a more unique name choice of Bambi for their baby girl, and announced the news to the world on Tuesday, after revealing the little one had been born on January 23rd.

The UK Government has shared new updates on how the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) will be administered and delivered, in response to written queries from several MPs. The application portal is expected to open on or before February 27, 2023.

A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to require all energy firms to offer a fixed monthly rate for older people and those with a disability. The petition also calls for “no per unit charges for gas and electricity” for those household groups.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is encouraging older people with a physical or mental health condition, or a disability, to check if they are entitled to claim a benefit worth either £61.85 or £92.40 every week.

The Scottish Government has shared a new update for more than 415,000 people on a low income who are due to receive a one-off payment for £50 to help with heating bills this winter. The new Winter Heating Payment will be administered by Social Security Scotland and replaces the £25 Cold Weather Payment delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Off-grid energy users waiting on the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment have started to receive the one-off lump sum from the UK Government, according to consumer expert, Martin Lewis.

Editor’s note: Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films factoring in this year’s movie awards races.

The cost of living crisis squeezed household budgets to breaking point in 2022 and shows little sign of easing up this year as energy bills continue to rise and inflation remains in the double digits.

Hundreds of thousands of older Brits living abroad are going to miss out on the financial boost from the return of the State Pension triple lock, warns the CEO and founder of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory, asset management and fintech organisations.

Nicola Sturgeon has refused to guarantee every eligible Scot will receive a new Winter Heating Payment in Scotland this month.

The UK Government has announced that the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding application portal will not open this month as previously planned, instead the online hub and telephone helpline is expected to be up and running by Monday, February 27, 2023.

More details are slowly emerging about the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) which is due to be paid to some 900,000 households across Great Britain who do not have a direct relationship with their electricity supplier from next month.