Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 13 July 2021.
First Minister, thank you so much for mentioning women and young people in your previous answer, but I'd like to focus on older people. The older people's commissioner for Wales, in 2018, reported that an estimated 112,500 older people actually live in poverty here in Wales, with 50,000 people living in severe poverty. Last year, the charity Independent Age produced a report saying that hundreds of thousands of elderly people could be lifted out of poverty with a full uptake of pension credit. Independent Age said 61 per cent of those eligible are receiving the benefit and that some 450,000 pensioners could move out of poverty in the United Kingdom if uptake was increased to 100 per cent, thereby reducing pensioner poverty to its lowest ever level. The Welsh Government strategy for older people referred to Communities First as a mechanism to address older people's financial inclusion and improve their ability to access appropriate financial advice and services. The continued poor uptake of financial entitlement suggests that the programme failed to achieve its target. What action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that older people are aware of their entitlements, know how to apply with targeted help and support, and have the confidence to claim their entitlement? Thank you.