LIBDEM MP for Yeovil, David Laws, has released new Government figures showing that four in ten people in the South West who are entitled are not yet receiving the pension Credit - the Government's new flagship benefit service for the elderly.

Mr Laws received this information through asking parliamentary questions. The answer he received states that 126,000 out of the 300,000 households in the South West eligible for pension credit do not yet receive it.

"I am very concerned that the take up of Pension Credit is still so low in our area," he said. "The Pension Credit is the Government's main scheme for boosting pensioner incomes but the figures I have uncovered show that four out of ten people in our area who are entitled do not even receive it.

"The Government must work a lot harder to make sure that pensioner households are aware of this important benefit and to make it easier for people to claim it. There is not much point spending money on grandiose schemes if those who need this extra money do not even receive it!

"I will continue to press the Government to do more to raise the take-up of pension credit so that the vast majority of those who are entitled to receive it actually do so. In the meantime, I would urge any pensioner who does not receive the pension credit to consider ringing the pension credit application line."

The Yeovil Express has been supporting Mr Laws in the past few months to try and get the message across to pensioners to get in touch with the Pension Credit on free phone 0800 99 1234 to check if they are eligible for it.