Mr Frank Field MP DL, Chairman of the Select Committee for Work and Pensions has replied to me, and he says.....
The Committee has no plans, at present, to investigate the specific matter you raise but I am always open to suggestions from colleagues. Might I suggest, therefore, that any friends or relatives of yours living in the UK should ask their local MP to take up this matter in the House?
This
seems encouraging – it is then absolutely necessary to persuade
individual MPs to write to Mr. Field, and through him to the Select
Committee, requesting the Committee to include in their investigations
the issue of the unnecessary hardship to be caused by the selective
withdrawal of the WFP in September. Encourage Friends and Relatives
resident in the UK to do so also, for the sake of those less fortunate
than yourselves, and in the cause of fairness and honesty.
Suggested wording of a letter to your MP:
*********************************************
To XXXXX MP.
Subject – WINTER FUEL PAYMENT.
Dear
------------------ I, as a constituent, request that you write to
Frank Field MP, Chairman of the Select Committee for Work &
Pensions, on the basis of the following information:
From
this September under the Statutory Instrument 3270 of 2014 introduced
by Iain Duncan Smith as Secretary of State for the DWP, this benefit
[WFP] is to be withdrawn from elderly British Citizens in 6 countries
and one British dependency in the EU (below referred as 7 'countries').
The
DWP is claiming that the withdrawal is justified by invoking a
temperature check on these 7 'countries', in comparison with SW England
but:
* There are many elderly British Citizens living in these 7 'countries' who are in need of the WFP. Visit www.lefourquet.net/Hardup-dossier.doc to read of some 17 of these citizens. It is apparent that they are discriminated against by the operation of SI 3270.
* 35 MPs signed the EDM 695 last year ‘praying’ that the SI 3270 be annulled. (11-Con- 12 Lab – 8 LD – 2 SNP – 1 Gr – 1 Ind.)
* There
is evidence that these temperature checks have been falsely calculated,
for example they include in the case of France, temperatures of
Caribbean and Indian Ocean territories which are French possessions, but
are not France.
*
It is further clear that the fact that winter temperatures in many
districts of France and even Spain fall well below those in SW England.-
Spain, Cyprus, Portugal (Estrela) and of course France. e.g. all have
tourist ski resorts.
* Furthermore, winter temperatures in these countries all fall below that which require home heating to maintain health.
In addition, this is contrary to EU Regulation 883/2004 ---- Article 7 which states:
Waiving of residence rules:
Unless
otherwise provided for by this Regulation, cash benefits payable under
the legislation of one or more Member States or under this Regulation shall not be subject to any reduction, amendment, suspension, withdrawal or confiscation
on account of the fact that the beneficiary or the members of his
family reside in a Member State other than that in which the institution
responsible for providing benefits is situated.
Could
you please write to Frank Field MP DL .. within Parliament requesting
that the Select Committee for Work & Pensions considers in their
investigations, the hardship to be caused by selective withdrawal of
the WFP from certain British pensioners resident within the EU in
September.
****************************************
Please
copy all the above between the lines of ******* and send to your
MP. You may of course add any extra material relating to yourself or
your family and friends affected by this matter.
And as Frank Field MP suggests, encourage all your friends and relatives in the UK to do likewise.
Find email and other addresses of MPs here .... http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
