To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the impact on pensioner poverty if take-up of council tax benefit were 100 per cent. (155942)

We have made good progress in tackling pensioner poverty. Since 1997 the number of pensioners living in relative poverty, based on a threshold of 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs, has fallen by 1.1 million, from 2.9 million to 1.8 million in 2005-06.

Take-up of council tax benefit of 100 per cent. is estimated to reduce the number of pensioners below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs by around 200,000, based on 2007-08 benefit rates.