Answer: • Pensioners - There will be no change to the amount of help pensioners currently receive. People who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit will be assessed under a national scheme which will be decided by the government. The national scheme is likely to be very similar to the current one and these residents will not have their benefit reduced providing their circumstances stay the same. The local council tax scheme also proposes to protect the following vulnerable groups: • People who are severely disabled – people that are, for example, receiving the highest rate of Disability Allowance care. • People with a disability – people who receive certain disability benefits, for example, Disability Living Allowance (DLA). • People who have a disabled child – parents or guardians who have a child that receives Disability Living Allowance. • People receiving war disablement or war widows pension. For the purposes of the new council tax support scheme, a pensioner is someone who has reached the qualifying age for State Pension Credit. The qualifying age for State Pension Credit will be taken as the pensionable age for women – currently just over 61. Currently in the case of a couple, one member of the couple needs to be of this age or older in order to be deemed a pensioner couple. These groups have been identified as they cannot be expected to increase their income through paid work and are therefore protected.