Apparently the figures for France's winter temperature have included tropical countries because their populations are regarded as French citizens and, therefore, in the EU, according to a spokesman from the Department of Work and Pensions.
The Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the Indian Ocean islands of Réunion and Mayotte and French Guiana in South America were all included. Méteo France data is only available for the first three online but shows an average winter temperature of 26C.
This is a blatant attempt at "massaging" the figures and I am horrified. Surely they cannot have thought that they wouldn't have been found out, or could they?
Just checked the petition site - only some 6,000 signatures! Long way to go before the 100,000 threshold at which they *might* take notice!!!
And how bizarre (bit like France really) that the bureaucrats thought it less work to reply to you with a covering note saying you had sent it to the wrong place, rather than instead - or preferably!! - forwarding to the correct one!
I have signed the petition! lets hope they take notice? I contacted the DWP recently by email and waited 10 days for a reply and when they replied they told me I had emailed the wrong dept and that I had to email the other dept and wait another 10 days for my answer, it was to much for them to forward my email to the correct dept!!
It is very clear to me that the officials in IDS's Department were either devious or negligent. I found an interesting website http://www.universcience.fr/climobs/2013/03/15/lhiver-2013-en-france-metropolitaine/ which gives very clear data for the average winter (Dec/Jan/Feb) temperatures for Metropolitan France, which should leave no doubt that France is not a hot country. So I've sent it to Iain Duncan Smith. Anyone who feels as strongly as I do following George Osborne's patronising comment when he announced that Winter Fuel Payments would be abolished for those living in 'hot countries', could also write to IDS. Our bit of France needed us to have some heat every single day for eight months, and we had one spell of 15 consecutive days when the temperature was -10.0oC or less!
Jane , As you know we were lucky enough to do our tour de monde in 2012. We were in Tahiti and Bora Bora in French Polynesia in March and the temperatures never dipped below 27 at night. Thank god for the aircon!
What I don't think these stupid politicians seem to think about is that some of us can buy the cheaper houses here and live carefuly just about within our means here. If in UK I would have to claim help re housing benefit and senior citizen top to live there so they are saving by just sending us merely £200 that we worked for all our lives. I worked from 16, just 2 years off to have my son and then worked full time for the rest of my life. I was also a single mum later on but worked Monday to Friday in one job and then all day sunday in another as I did not want to claim benefits. How about thinking about our generation who wanted and still want to support ourselves and get what we are entitled to for working hard all our lives.
For discussion in connection with UK Winter Fuel Payment
LONDON
MONTS D’ARREE
Scrignac Alt 280m
CHINGFORD
Constituency of Ian Duncan-Smith
BELSTONEDevonAlt 300mm
JANUARY
Highest average temp 0C
7.9
8.7
9
8
Lowest average temp 0C
2.4
5.1
5
5
Rainfall mm
51.9
81
54
FEBRUARY
Highest average temp 0C
8.2
8.8
10
8
Lowest average temp 0C
2.2
4.8
5
5
Rainfall mm
34
70
39
MARCH
Highest average temp 0C
10.9
10.8
12
10
Lowest average temp 0C
3.8
5.6
6
6
Rainfall mm
42
60
36
OCTOBER
Highest average temp 0C
15.2
14.8
16
14
Lowest average temp 0C
8
10.3
10
10
Rainfall mm
61.5
77
65
NOVEMBER
Highest average temp 0C
10.9
11.4
12
11
Lowest average temp 0C
4.8
7.6
7
7
Rainfall mm
52.3
86
62
DECEMBER
Highest average temp 0C
8.8
8.9
9
8
Lowest average temp 0C
3.3
5
5
5
Rainfall mm
54
92
54
My research has been widely disseminated! This was of course without reference to any tropical islands. The government's case was apparently based on research by the University of East Anglia aka Norwich Tech.
Ben we have a heat pump for the newly renovated parts of the house and for the pool. we have a fairly new oil boiler which we bought with the house and installed a wood burner ourselves. I have now been advised that we should try not to use the wood burner because of my asthma.
I would like my £200.00 to help with the costs of the oil please.
I remember seeing the same thing in an earlier discussion, and it probably included the Isles of Scilly (whose weather is affected by the gulf stream so that tropical palm trees can be grown outdoors!). If the British Government is going to be so selective in using just the warmest region of GB for its base data, rather than a national average, should it not also take data from each region of France, Italy, Germany , etc., rather than national averages (whether including the Outre-Mers or not).
I, for instance, live in the Limousin region, and have recorded winter night-time temperatures as low as -19°C (and I don't doubt that other parts of France have even lower figures). The WFA would buy me a couple of 'cordes' of wood, which is enough for about 3 months of fires each evening.
Meanwhile, I must go to read and sign the petition...
John D
P.S. Petition read and signed: just waiting for the confirmation e-mail to actually add my name to the list...
Build the "puits" myself (appr £500 in materials) and had a 55% reduction on my income taxes for the costs of the heat-pump. In all maybe 5 years worth of your average WFA... Worth a thought no? ;-)
But you had to invest in a high-tech system and this cost needs to be recuperated, Think of the extra pension 'benefit' you could have accumulated if you had not spent the money say £200 pa?
I'd be a bit ashamed if I would collect a pension supplement such as the WFA, knowing that I don't need it because I live in a warm part of the world where heating costs are not as high as in, for argument's sake, Inverness, Stoke-on-Trent or a badly insulated 2-room apartment in Slough. But then again I burn wood from my own little forest, use a heat-pump and a "puits canadienne" to heat up the house during winter ;-)