The Winter Fuel payment - What one must do now.

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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Instrument 3270 of  2014 introduced by Iain Duncan Smith as Secretary of State for the DWP, this benefit [WFP] is to be withdrawn from elderly British Citizens in 6 countries and one British dependency in the EU (below referred as 7 'countries').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/

Anger amongst the Britons Abroad

The continuing saga of the Winter Fuel Payment. (WFP)

Read this    News-article.from The Connexion

Let’s get it straight. 

• There are quite a few pensioners in France and beyond, who need the money.  They went to France when the £ was strong; and when they got a reasonable return on bank and building society savings.  They came to enjoy more space in cheaper housing than was possible in the UK. They had the guts to appreciate another culture.  They might have thought that the climate would be better and generally it is so with clearer skies and longer winter days.  But they found that winter temperatures were colder, though winter may be shorter.  If they came here more than 15 years ago the WFP did not exist.  When Gordon Brown introduced this old-age benefit, they were at first excluded.   As time has passed, they find the £ has shrunk in value; interest on British savings has dwindled to almost zero; inflation has risen; taxation of income and property in France has risen.  . 
  If they wanted to change their British Bank or Building Society because the banks have bust, they couldn’t and still can’t.

Apart from the French  prices and tax inflation, the British Government is responsible for much of this. It is oblivious to the effect on Britons Abroad of their policies, and frankly is not interested in the Briton Abroad because most of us have no voice in Parliament. Most politicians feed on ‘power’. Their power comes from the votes of the people.    Even the simple ability for Britons abroad to vote was shrunk by the Blair Government from 20 years to 15 years.  But at the time few British residents in Europe took any interest in voting and in those politicians who control their finances.  They turned their eyes away, saying “I’m not interested in politics.” It is still a common theme. Misfortune has come upon them. 

The British Government knowingly or not, gives an unwitting reaction – “They are not interested. We can ignore them.” 

Result – A Briton Abroad is a Briton Ignored. 

• The European Commission is on our side.  Without it, we would be at the mercy of an uninterested, even antagonistic British Government The EU Commission encourages Britons to be good citizens of Europe. Many British politicians do not just ignore us, they dislike us.  This attitude is encouraged  by parts of the British media which have long been anti!   
• It was the EU Commission who forced the hand of the UK to pay the WFP to all.  Now the British Government want to cut it away again by using deceitful , dishonest fiddling with statistics.
• Some Britons Abroad are fighting back, and have always done so, but till now have been few in number.
• Here is two exchanges between one of us and the Civil Service in the Department of Works and Pensions.

http://www.lefourquet.net/Boaden1x.pdf    and

http://www.lefourquet.net/Boaden2x.pdf

The effect of the British Government on the Briton in Europe

The Government wriggles in trying to impose a temperature threshold on the payment of the Winter Fuel Payment to Britons in Europe, an ‘old-age’ benefit under EU law.

The Government wants our support to maintain their power and yet denies us the ability to vote for or against them after 15 years non-residence in the UK.

The Government taxes those who at one time worked in some form of Government service (such as our soldiers) and then denies them any voice.

The Government makes it difficult to move  money around British Banks by making it impossible to open a new account in the UK.

The Government achieves an exchange rate so low that  many British pensioners reliant on their savings have seen a great drop in income.

You can help.

To help us on our way to achieve some success sign the following petitions and write to certain politicians.

For voting/Representation

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43238

And to leave a comment below - It is  not possible on the official petition.

www.votes-for-expat-brits,com

Write to the politician  Chloe Smith  Minister for Political Reform c/o....

 publiccorrespondence@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk

For a proper payment of the Winter Fuel Payment

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085

Write to a politician Steve Webb, Minister for Pensions c/o.....

 ministers@dwp.gsi.gov.uk