To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas-based pensioners received winter fuel allowance in 2008-09. (295494)

64,000 pensioners based overseas received a winter fuel allowance in 2008-09.

Notes:

Data are rounded to the nearest 1000.

Source:

Winter Fuel Payment datasets

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will take steps to restrict eligibility for pensioners' winter fuel allowance to those pensioners living in the UK and countries with similar or colder climates. (295495)

Under European law some benefits acquired in one member state must be paid to people who live outside that state but within the European economic area (EEA). To comply with this law winter fuel payments are paid to former UK residents living elsewhere in the EEA if they qualified for a payment before leaving the UK.