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Network Journal 2006 Issue 1 March |
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Billions in benefits go ‘unclaimed’
More than £7 billion in means-tested benefits may have gone unclaimed in 2003/04, a new study by the Government has revealed.
The take up of six benefits, which included income support, housing benefit, pension credit, jobseekers' allowance, overseen by the department for work and pensions, were analysed by the office for national statistics.
Charity Age Concern claimed it was pensioners who were missing out most on the benefits with around £4 billion failing to reach the pockets of this target group.
Age Concern also estimate around two million older people are missing out on council tax benefit.
At the other end of the scale many young people aged under 25 and living at home were failing to claim the income-based jobseeker's allowance.
Take-up rates varied across the benefit range from as low as 59 per cent up to a high of 97 per cent. In total £29.5 billion was claimed during the year in question.
More benefits information at: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/business/benefits
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