State Pension, Child Benefit and other payments due early next week ahead of bank holiday

Nearly 1.4 million older people across Great Britain, including more than 126,800 living in Scotland, are currently receiving Pension Credit support of around £3,900 each year. However, the latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) suggest there are still 880,000 eligible pensioners not claiming the benefit they are entitled to.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms while cautioning for more bad weather in the coming days.

A "really fun" Scottish amusement park is currently available to book at a bargain price ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the State Pension currently provides regular financial support for nearly 12.7 million older people across the country, including over one million retirees living in Scotland. This payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is currently 66 for both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.

The bank holiday weekend is almost upon us, and while many dream of lie-ins and sunshine-filled barbecues, for nearly half of the nation (42%)*, it's business as usual.

Work and Pensions Secretary of State, Mel Stride MP, will face questions from the Work and Pensions Committee this week in an accountability session examining the work of his Department as well as recent UK Government announcements and policy developments. The meeting with the cross-party group of MPs will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at 9.25am.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that on Monday, May 27 all Jobcentre Plus offices and phone lines will be closed due to the Spring bank holiday. It has also confirmed people due to receive a scheduled payment on that day will instead see the money land in their bank account on Friday, May 24.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the market’s biggest-budget projects, the Will Smith action-crime thriller Sugar Bandits, has sealed multi-million dollar deals across the world for AGC ahead of a planned September start date.

The beautiful Northern Lights may be visible in Scotland this week as the latest space weather forecast has predicted some aurora activity.

Sir Stephen Timms, chairman of the Work and Pensions Committee, has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride, following an oral evidence session last week with the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) Campaign and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on the findings in its final report into changes made to the State Pension age for millions of women born in the 1950s.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that at the end of August 2023, more than 1.5 million older people were receiving additional financial support through Attendance Allowance, including over 136,200 living in Scotland. This is a significant increase of 36,061 on the number of people claiming the non-means tested benefit in the previous quarter, ending in May 2023.

The Scottish Government will replace Winter Fuel Payments with a new devolved lump sum later this year. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) is set to be provided on a like-for-like basis to its Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) counterpart and paid to everyone over the State Pension age every year.

A new online petition is calling for all people over the official age of retirement (66) to be paid the New State Pension weekly rate of £221.20, some £884.80 every four-week pay period. At present, those who reached retirement age before April 6, 2016 are only eligible for the Basic State Pension, which is worth up to £169.50 each week, some £678 every pay period.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that millions of people claiming Universal Credit will see the annual uprating reflected in their monthly payments from Tuesday, May 14, however, some will have to wait until June 13 to receive the higher amount in their bank account.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told MPs that he “understands the strong feelings” across Parliament over the lack of response to the recently published Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s (PHSO) final report into the impact of changes to the State Pension age for women born in the 1950s. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, he acknowledged the “desire for urgency in addressing them” but added that an update “will be given to the House once those findings have been fully considered”.

Lexi Carson NBCUniversal’s Emmy FYC House is set to return for its third annual pop-up activation at The Aster in Los Angeles from May 16 through May 22. Additionally, on Wednesday night, Peacock will host their official FYC event for “The Traitors,” a reality show where contestants move into a castle and compete on challenges to earn money for a prize pot.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the State Pension is providing essential financial support for nearly 12.7 million people across Great Britain, including more than one million living in Scotland. This regular payment is now worth up to £221.20 per week for those on the New State Pension (claimed after April 6, 2016), or £169.50 each week for the Basic State Pension (Category A or B).

Hundreds of thousands of older women are due to receive a letter from HM Revenue and Customs letting them know their National Insurance (NI) record may contain missing periods of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) which in turn has affected the level of Basic or New State Pension they are entitled to. The Treasury started issuing these letters in September last year and is working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to correct any administration errors as quickly as possible.

More than 1.5 million older people claiming Attendance Allowance are set for a significant income boost this year now that the annual Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uprating has been applied. On top of the 6.7 per cent increase, both the New and Basic State Pension have risen by 8.5 per cent.

ABBA’s Waterloo has been voted the greatest song in Eurovision history, and with the Song Contest in Sweden this year, the organizers have a surprise ABBA tribute up their sleeves. Changes are also being introduced to both the voting system and the format of the live shows. There will be full live performances in the semi-finals from the artists representing the ‘big five’ countries for the first time, and the public vote will now open at the start of the live final.