Response to Work and Pensions Committee report on Poverty amongst older people

Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, said:

“I strongly welcome the report published today by the Work and Pensions Committee, which examines the impact of poverty on older people’s lives and calls for a range of action from the UK Government to reverse the increases in poverty amongst older people we have seen in recent years.

“The conclusions and recommendations within the report closely reflect the evidence and concerns I shared with the Committee, setting out a range of practical measures that would make a meaningful difference to the lives of many older people if they were to be taken forward.

“I particularly welcome calls from the Committee to tackle the pension inequalities faced by certain groups, increase the availability of and access to social tariffs, and improve the process for claiming Pension Credit, including introducing a ‘taper’ to ensure that people who may be just above the qualifying threshold no longer miss out on the wider support this unlocks.

“I also welcome the call for the UK Government to appoint an older people’s commissioner for England, which would ensure that older people in England have a strong independent voice to represent their interests and help protect their rights, alongside creating opportunities to work across nations to ensure that the voices and experiences of older people are heard in policy- and decision-making.

“I look forward to seeing the UK Government’s response to the report, and hope that they will commit to delivering the range of action needed to address the issues identified.

“Furthermore, following the announcement earlier this week that the UK Government is undertaking a review into the State Pension, it is crucial that the Committee’s findings are considered so that the experiences of older people living in or at risk of poverty inform and shape this work.”