Caroline Dinenage, local MP for Gosport, raised the issue of pensioner poverty in the House of Commons this week, standing up for the older people in the constituency. Addressing the Minister of State for Work and Pensions, Steve Webb, Caroline asked what was being done to help pensioners facing a potential double digit increase in their energy bills:
‘I am immensely proud that people from across the country choose to retire in my constituency and thank the Minister for his work to lift so many pensioners out of poverty, which was a legacy of the previous Government. However this good work is threatened to undermined by proposed double-digit energy price rises. What is the government doing to address the serious issue of fuel poverty?’
Speaking outside the Chamber, Caroline said, ‘I think it’s so important to address the horrific levels of pensioner poverty left to us by the last Government. I’ve already done a lot of work in promoting the Home Heat Helpline – a source of information and a route to securing free or subsidised insulation for homes in the greatest need. However, it is important that the Government uses the new pension poverty indicators they have designed to create a better understanding of the everyday lives of those surviving on the state pension and in extreme cases forced to choose between eating and heating their homes. With the potential of a double digit increase in fuel prices around the corner this has never been more important and I will, therefore, be following the Government’s progress in implementing its welfare reforms with interest.’