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Gordon Lishman‚ Director General of Age Concern‚ said:

“It is very worrying to see that there have been 31‚000 fewer new claims for Pension Credit this year than last. This flagship benefit for older people can make a dramatic difference to the standard of living for those struggling to make ends meet. Yet four years on from its launch‚ Pension Credit is still failing to reach nearly a third of those entitled to it and the Government is nowhere near its target to reach 3.2 million pensioner households by 2008.

“With a shocking 1.8 million older people still living in poverty‚ and thousands more struggling to pay their bills‚ the Government must do more to get this extra cash to those who need it most. We are calling on the Government to make it easier for older people to claim benefits by introducing a single claim-line for all means-tested benefits or paying benefits automatically to all those entitled."

ENDS

Factfile:

•  Almost half of all pensioners are entitled to Pension Credit
•  Nearly a third of those entitled to Pension Credit‚ up to 1.7 million pensioners‚ are still not receiving it.
• Up to £2.5 billion of Pension Credit went unclaimed last year
• Age Concern research shows 40% of over 65s feel that their social life is restricted by a lack of money and 41% say a holiday is unaffordable
•  Age Concern polling revealed that more than a third (35%) of people are worried that an older friend or relative is missing out on vital money benefits

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