Expats getting the winter fuel payment

[meglet]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7176843.stm

So you move to spain as a pensioner and the government still pays you the winter fuel payment. It's mandatory under European law...but is it right?

[amsterdammer]

Why not? If youve paid into the system all your life.
We get our state pension paid abroad , so why not the winter fuel payment? It can be colder on the Costa del Sol than here in England, so whats the difference?

[meglet]

Doing some basic research on the internet, I find that the average temperature in winter is about 10 - 15 degrees. Hardly colder than here.

[amsterdammer]

I will rephrase that statement.

AT TIMES IT CAN BE COLDER etc.
Are you suggesting these payments should not be paid to Ex- Pats?

[meglet]

Merely hoping to start a discussion. I posted the question as a pensioner on my local news is unhappy about it and was wondering what others thought.

[amsterdammer]

If he is that unhappy about the situation, perhaps he should contemplate moving abroad himself? Sounds like sour grapes to me.

[Doc Spock]

It should NOT be paid. The money is to help with the cost of keeping warm in a British winter not a Spanish one.

[Doc Spock]

I would like to know when the costa del sol is colder than halifax.

[Dassie]

I agree with amster. If you've paid in all your life then you should get the same benefits no matter where you are. Yes I've been in Spain in winter and remember sitting in a car with the heater on and engine running to keep warm. Don't forget when you're older 10 degrees can feel like 15 does to a younger person.

[fletcher.5]

Yes it is bloody right, these people have spent their working lives being screwed by the system

[ludwig]

Yes it should be paid. If we're going to start quibbling about temperature differences and where people live then maybe pensioners in the south of the country should get less than those in the north. It's bu66er all anyway isn't it?

[naomi24]

Not everyone lives on the Costa del Sol - but even there it gets cold. More northerly areas often have snow in winter, and it can get very cold indeed.

[R1Man]

Surely this should be a means tested benefit, I mean even Phil the Greek gets it apparently!

[New Judge]

As I understand it to qualify for this year�s payment when living abroad you must:

- Be over 60
- Have previously (in earlier years) qualified for the payment when living in the UK.
- Have resided during the qualifying week (17-24 September) in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or in Switzerland.

There are one or two other minor requirements to do with nationality if you live in non-EU countries.

It is not means tested and, as such, can probably be seen as part of the State pension payment. Its details appear on the Pension Service website. Most (but not all) UK citizens who live abroad have usually paid in their fair share of tax and NI contributions to qualify for the State Pension. This should also therefore make them eligible to receive the fuel allowance.

What they choose to do with it is therefore surely their affair and nobody else�s. One person�s idea of keeping warm in winter might be to sit by a roaring fire, whilst another�s may be to jet off to warmer climes.

There are already restrictions on the State pension payments (and in particular annual increments) paid to pensioners living abroad. The sooner we get away from the notion that the State pension package is to be paid for by those who have contributed, but only drawn by those who �need it� the sooner we can encourage more people to take responsibility for their own affairs.

[Ethel]

My relative lives in Spain and gets this allowance - and has done for years.

She says she needs it to pay her astronomical bills for air conditioning.

:|

[amsterdammer]

There are retirees in all parts of the world, many a damn sight colder than Halifax. I also think people living in Scotland & even Wales should receive extra payments to compensate them for living in such a wretched climate during the winter.