Fifth Report of Session 2008–09
Volume I
Report and formal minutes

The level of pensioner poverty has declined markedly since 1997. However, there are still 2 million pensioners in poverty and 1.1 million who live on below 50% of median income. The report looks at what more the Government could do to lift pensioners out of poverty.

The report metions that the Government has implemented a range of reforms in response to the Pensions Commission to make state pension provision more generous and more universal and to increase levels of private saving for pensions. Many of the proposed reforms have not come into force yet. These were looked at in our previous report into Pension Reform.

It highlights how pension credit has lifted large numbers of pensioners out of poverty. Take-up of Pension Credit improved rapidly after its introduction, but has since reached a plateau with many eligible pensioners still not claiming. Despite the best efforts of the Pension Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) it is seeing diminishing returns for its efforts. Take-up of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit amongst pensioners has also declined since 1997. Improving take-up of all three benefits would markedly improve pensioner poverty.