People over State Pension age must claim £600 heating bill help before end of this month

More than one million people over State Pension age living in Scotland will be able to claim two new devolved benefits starting before the end of this year. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) will be worth up to £300 per household and is set to replace the annual Winter Fuel Payment, currently delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

State Pensions and benefits increased earlier this week after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) applied the annual uprating. More than 12 million people will see State Pension payments rise by 8.5 per cent while those on benefits including Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will receive a 6.7 per cent increase.

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Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride MP has said he will return to the House of Commons “when there is something to say” about a decision on whether women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the State Pension age should receive compensation. His comments may confuse some people as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report (PHSO) published on March 21 indicated that compensation should be made.

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The latest Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures indicate that fraud and error in the benefit system is falling after the UK Government restated its determination to drive levels down further and protect taxpayers’ money. The most-recent national statistics show that in the 2022/23 financial year, fraud and error rates fell to 3.6 per cent (£8.3 billion) from 4.0 per cent (£8.7 billion) - figures for 2023/24 are due to be published next month.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has removed the online claim forms for the 2023/24 Winter Fuel Payment for people living in the UK and retirees living abroad. The closing date for applications for the annual heating bill help was Sunday, March 31 - which means anyone who missed the deadline will not be entitled to up to £600.

An open letter to Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt MP, demanding a debate and vote in Parliament on compensation for Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, has been signed by more than 156,000 people in just 10 days.

More than 12 million older people in receipt of the New or Basic State Pension are set for a significant income boost during the new financial year when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uprates payments by 8.5 per cent from Monday, April 8. Additional State Pension elements, including deferred amounts, will rise by 6.7 per cent.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that State Pension and benefit payment rates will rise from April 8, 2024. State Pensions will go up by 8.5 per cent, under the Triple Lock, while most working age and disability benefits will increase by the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate of 6.7 per cent.

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More than 41,000 people have signed an online petition created by Angela Madden, chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, urging the Leader of the House of Commons to “urgently” give MPs the opportunity to debate and vote on compensation for women affected by changes to their State Pension age.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published a report on Thursday which said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to adequately communicate changes to women’s State Pension age, and those affected are owed compensation. As a result of its findings, the Ombudsman has asked Parliament to intervene and “act swiftly” to make sure a compensation scheme is established.

Millions of 1950s-born women who lost out when the State Pension age changed cannot afford to wait much longer for compensation, campaigners said as they acknowledged that for some it was “already too late”. Age UK accused the UK Government of “seemingly endlessly dragging its feet in situations when there have been clear findings of fault”, and compared the situation to concerns around the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Post Office and Contaminated Blood scandals.

A report looking into how raising the age when women retire has impacted them is to be published on Thursday.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the State Pension currently provides regular financial support for nearly 12.7 million older people across the country, including over one million retirees living in Scotland. This payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is currently 66 for men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.

The chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign has indicated that the final report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) into ‘injustice caused by the maladministration’ of changes to the State Pension age, “is set to be released within weeks”.

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Millions of people claiming their State Pension can look forward to an inflation-busting boost next month when payments rise by 8.5 per cent from April 8. Under the wages growth measure of the Triple Lock policy, those on the full New State Pension can expect an annual increase of £902, while those on the full Basic State Pension will see an uplift of £692.

EXCLUSIVE: Filming is due to begin this month in LA on neo-noir thriller Lips Like Sugar, which will star Oscar-nominees Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson.