Help Expats to keep the Winter Fuel Payments - THIS IS URGENT!

General Discussion
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I have witten to my MP Mark Lazarowicz MP for Edinburgh North & Leith - so far no reply other than automatic respose

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We have been sent a possible loophole in the Statutory Instrument, the piece of legislation that the British Government has used to take away the Winter Fuel Payment.
There is a parliamentary technique which is rarely used to halt the implementation of the Statutory Instrument, otherwise known as a prayer. It has to be activated within 40 days of the tabling of the Statutory Instrument.
In order to have a chance of overturning the Statutory Instrument, the clerk must receive a large number of submissions, then action may be taken to stop the implementation.

You must send an email to the clerk – Work & Pensions Committee

workpencom@parliament.uk

You may use the following text:

Dear Sir/Madam,
Please convey the following message immediately to the Committee.

To members of the Select Committee for Work & Pensions.

I urge that an EDM (prayer) as follows be laid before parliament before the 24th January (40 days after the SI was laid)
Early Day Motion (prayer) Winter Fuel Payment to British Citizens in EU countries.
The Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 3270 (laid before PARLIAMENT on 15 December 2014 restricting payment to pensioners residing in EU countries incorrectly called by the DWP ‘hot’ should be annulled.
After the General Election, the matter may be appropriately reconsidered by the new Parliament.

  1. It discriminates against certain groups of British Citizen pensioners residing in certain States of the EU.
  2. This SI almost certainly contravenes the UK treaty agreement with the EU on social security co-ordination.

Yours sincerely

(Your name)

PS I see that a full impact assessment was not, for whatever reason, produced for these regulations. Had there been one it might have suggested that the inclusion of France Outremer (where I believe a dozen Brits live) should not serve to exclude France mainland, the residence of hundreds of thousands of Brits, and where the average winter temperature must surely be lower than that in Italy.

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Have done so Roger and quoted the recent reply from Your European Advice.

Mind you my MP seems to be running scared of Central Office and has been no help at all. Stroud has had a succession of fence sitting MP's, so no change there.