Appearing before the work and pensions committee, Bell insisted ministers were committed to some form of means testing, telling MPs: “The principle, I think most people – 95 per cent of people – agree that it’s not a good idea that we have a system paying a few £100 to millionaires.”
Bell also dismissed suggestions that tweaking pension credit rules could expand access to the allowance. Some MPs have called for changes to the eligibility threshold, but Bell argued that this reflected a misunderstanding of how the system works.
“If the objective was [for] more people to receive the winter fuel payment, you can’t achieve it via that mechanism. You would only get a very small increase in the pension credit threshold for any given level of spending.”
“We have now put our public finances on a firmer footing. The economy is in a better shape but we have also listening to the level of concern so they will be in place so pensioners will be paid this coming winter,” she told reporters.
A No 10 source said that an announcement about changes to the policy may no longer be tied to a fiscal event, which would allow them to be confirmed sooner than the autumn Budget.
She said she “hope[d]” an announcement on the details would come next month.
Asked if the Government would announce the measures on 11 June, when the Spending Review is scheduled for, she said: “I hope so, but I don’t know, but I hope so.”
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