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Winter Fuel Payments

Volume 611: debated on Monday 20 March 2000

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My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. I declare an interest in a winter fuel payment.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect that all those entitled to winter fuel payments will have received them.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security
(Baroness Hollis of Heigham)

My Lords, perhaps I may discourage the rest of your Lordships from making similar declarations of interest. 'This winter (1999–2000) for the first time all winter fuel payments were made before Christmas. We plan that that should happen again next 'winter.

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for that Answer. Is it not the case that although the Government have made winter fuel payments to a number of people who are not on low incomes, by the end of the winter they will not have made similar payments to a number of men aged between 60 and 65 who may well be on low incomes? First, did no one in the department realise that the European Court was likely to make a ruling which would result in men aged between 60 and 65 being entitled to payments? If so, why were no contingency plans made? Secondly, the Government make winter fuel payments without a means test but last Session used their majority in the Commons to force through a major long-term contributory benefit for disabled people on a means-tested basis. On what principle do the Government now decide whether a particular benefit should be means tested?

My Lords, immediately the European Court gave its judgment the Secretary of State announced that the Government would respond to it in the spirit in which the Court intended. As the noble Lord will be aware, the original proposal was that winter fuel payments were to be awarded to pensioners over the age of 65 in the case of men and over the age of 60 in the case of women. The judgment in Taylor insists that men should get the payments on the same terms as women. It is worth emphasising that by 2020 women's retirement age will match that of men. Therefore, at that stage men and women alike will receive winter fuel payments at age 65, on the presumption that they still exist. The matter is complicated. Well over 50 per cent of the new recipients are in work, and as a result we do not have easy access to their records. The details of the delivery arrangements, including the claims process, will be announced shortly. We plan that both back-dated payments and payments to the newly eligible should be made by Christmas.