Until the Winter Fuel Payment has been devolved, it is a matter for the UK parliament and the MP for the constituency you were last resident in, rather than the MSP.
Indeed - but it looks like the Banff & Buchan MSP won't be any help:o(. But perhaps she's just not got round to it yet.
Probably Yes, Margaret.
Still a long way to go, however. There will be negotiations and discussions about transitional arrangements between the Scottish & UK governments. The legislation will be finally decided by the Parliament & Government elected in May this year. I still have a vote in Edinburgh North & Leith ( but not for much longer under 15 year rule ). It is most likely that for those living abroad they will become the responsibility of the country in the UK they were last resident in.
Let us hope the Scottish Government agree to those now living in France receiving a reasonable Winter Fuel Payment.
That's interesting, Martin, thank you. Does that mean that as Banff & Buchan was my last UK address I'd become the responsibility of Scotland as far as WFP is concerned (I wasn't born there)? I've gone to the link you sent and from what I can understand the state pension would still be dealt with by Newcastle since it doesn't say otherwise.
If the draft legislation ( Scotland in the United Kingdom: An enduring settlement ) proposed by the UK government is passed into law then the Winter Fuel Payment will become a devolved matter:
Powers over the following benefits in Scotland will be devolved to the
Scottish Parliament:
(1) Benefits for carers, disabled people and those who are ill:
Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance
(DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Industrial Injuries
Disablement Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowance.
(2) Benefits which currently comprise the Regulated Social Fund: Cold
Weather Payment, Funeral Payment, Sure Start Maternity Grant and
Winter Fuel Payment.
(3) Discretionary Housing Payments.
It will then become a matter for your MSP and the Scottish Government will make their decision on Winter Fuel Payments in France.
I emailed the Banff & Buchan MSP at the weekend but have had no reply. One problem - I left the UK 25 years ago.
Will please each one note this and send the link to your MPs.
www.lefourquet.net/SWollenWFP-jan2015.doc
We must get the UK politicians to realise we exist and we are in various ways dependent on the UK.
Those who are not need not comment.
Yes I shall. In my first email I pointed out to her that I have a vote and I will use it !!
Perhaps you shouldn't refrain from telling her what you think, as it sounds like she subscribes to the Daily Mail notion that we are not included in the "taxpayer" definition.
She works for you; not the other way around. Do put her straight.
Cheers!
Err, because here in the North West of France we have snow and are already in minus numbers, are you in South West of England?
Secondly, Parliament still have no problem in taxing us even though we chose to live in France
I could go on, but it may help you understand if you look into it yourself, instead of thinking that we are getting something for nothing
We still only have 4 MPs who have added their signatures !!!!! ( 4 Conservative and 2 Lib-Dem in total )
Name Party Constituency Date Signed
Aldous, Peter Conservative Party Waveney 22.01.2015
Bottomley, Peter Conservative Party Worthing West 15.01.2015
Gale, Roger Conservative Party North Thanet 15.01.2015
Harvey, Nick Liberal Democrats North Devon 21.01.2015
Leech, John Liberal Democrats Manchester Withington 22.01.2015
Syms, Robert Conservative Party Poole 22.01.2015
>>>
I sent my emails to the Work & Pensions Department and to my local Conservative MP. Had a reply from the latter who said she would NOT sign an EDM as she believes them to be a "waste of taxpayers money" She did say she would write to the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions however,
I refrained from replying to her, to say between my husband and I, we had paid tax and insurance for 92 years before we retired and have never been a burden on the taxpayer and never objected to those that were.
I suppose at least she has offered to do something, we will just have to wait and see now.
Unfortunately my MP is prohibited from signing EDMs since he's a government minister - had he not been he would have signed (he's a friend and has been quite apologetic).
But suspecting that would be the case I also enlisted the help of my MSP (Labour) who has been a friend since our daughters went to primary school together. She also owns a French house.
She is now trying to enlist the support of some Westminster colleagues.
So for anyone from Scotland - and with voting rights there - perhaps you could ask your local MSP to enlist the support of their Westminster colleagues too.
It is very disappointing to see still only these two signatures.
My MP, Mark Lazarowicz, has not yet signed it despite having written to me last week >>>
I will look at this EDM and will probably sign it when I am back in London next week. If you look on the UK Parliament website, you can see the list of EDMs and the signatories which are added each day.
Regards
Mark LazarowiczMP for Edinburgh North and Leith
REMEMBER You can register online
SO FAR _ Not one single MP has added their name to the EDM - just the two sponsors alone - It is terrible.
To see go to.
It would appear that to read our letter to our MP Oliver Letwyn, you have to have Microsoft Outlook, sorry about that, but we have had a reply and he has said that he will be bringing the subject up in Parliament. He also advised us on registering to vote, and we can now download the Forms to do this. If anybody is interested, please contact me at: royagardner@gmail.com or sgardnerfrance@gmail.com Regards.
Thank you for this, we have emailed accordingly. Very helpful.
Kind regards,
Cher B.
One has to believe in karma Roger.
Jane, with senior backbenchers like Roger Gale and Peter Bottomley sponsoring the EDM, Iain Duncan Smith will no doubt be bullying the Whips to block them, to stop them, and to do anything to avoid a debate. The diatribe in the MailOnline on 30th December from IDS when he used the words 'absurd', 'offensive', and 'obscene' when describing a legal old-age benefit, which British Pensioners have claimed legally over the years, shows the obsession suffered by this man towards Expats, some of whom have sought a little more sunshine in their twilight years. I wish he had the same obsession to stop his Department from wasting shedloads of taxpayers cash on failed computer systems!
I have also done this Roger. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Whips wereputting pressure on MP’s not to get involved in this. I have had a total lack of response from my MP Neil Carmichael, Stroud, apart from passing on my first letter asking for help to the DDWP, which is probably what they have been asked to do.
The Daily Mail is also perpetuating the myth that we are all sitting by the side of our pools drinking our way through our WFP, whilst it is actually minus 3 here in Southern Burgundy.