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Pension credit target 'will not be met'

A government pension credits target has been scrapped by ministers, the BBC reports.

The stated aim that three million UK households should claim the credits had a deadline of next month.

However, pensions minister Mike O'Brien appeared to imply that the target would not be met in an interview with the broadcaster.

The minister said instead that the government is aiming to get 235,000 extra pensions credit claims by the end of 2008.

Currently, around 2.7 million households claim the credit - which works as a top-up of the state pension to £119.05 a week for applicants.

Sally West at Age Concern added: "Individual people who are entitled to pension credit but do not claim, are missing out on an average of £26 a week, which can make a big difference to people living on a low income.

"If you take the three benefits - pension credit, council tax benefit, housing benefit - the estimate is that up to £4.6 billion is unclaimed each year."

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