General Chat

"It means around 440,000 expat pensioners get the payment - at a cost of £100 million."

just to point out that is it not £200 per person

if there is more than 1 qualifying people in the household the maximum payment per person is £100

so a single person in a house gets has much as a 2 people home where both have possibly both paid taxes etc over the years

One thing that seems to be forgotten is that it is the current working generation that is paying via tax for the current pensioners. It always has been the case. It doesn’t matter how much you paid in tax – your payments were (partially) going to support your parent’s generation when they became OAP, not paying in for yourselves.

The proposals as they stand would probably be too costly to implement – what may be cold weather for one person who resides in the south, could be positively barmy to someone who lives further north.

An alternative would be for it to only be available when someone starts to draw their State OAP. After all, if you are out working most of the day, why should the Government/Tax payer pay to heat your empty house?

Yes, I agree that Child Benefit should not be paid to Ex-pat children, or children of EU citizens who (the children) do not live in the UK.

Free subscriptions should also rise in line with the delay in female State Pension age. Currently anyone 60 or over is entitled to free medication on prescription. Why should anyone who is not of Pensionable age and either working or claiming other job related benefits be automatically entitled to that?

Thank you Ann :-D

but I do disagree with it in principle..lolol

I think the purpose of this thread was not to say people living in europe should not get the fuel allowance, but rather to show concern that if they decide on a temperature cut off for the allowance, some people in UK won't get it while others not in uk will.

edit: Sorry Sue, we crossed postings.

Hi Bridget,

No I am NOT saying that anyone who contributed to a state pension shouldn't receive it. I am referring to this 'bonus' (that's a joke).


I lived in Madrid for 2 years so am quite aware of seasonal changes. Until we moved in February we relied on bottled gas for heating as we could easily spend £87.00 every 2 weeks. The Winters here are longer and deeper, Heating on end September and off end of April as a rule of thumb.

If we chose to go live in the EU (not that we would) I wouldn't expect anything other than our State Pension to follow us.

We pay for private medical insurance here and would expect to do the same in any other country.

I wouldn't expect the UK taxpayers to fund this particular benefit to ex-pats or pensioners in the UK who don't need it.

I'd rather see the basic State pension increased and have no need for any pensioner to go 'cap in hand' to the benefits agency. Many don't because theey are too proud and suffer in silence.

Sue

Thanks Bridget.
I was beginning to think I was a lone voice in this.
The same argument comes up about this time every year.
Hope you & the family are all well & not finding the excessive heat too much of a problem
Marion

I find this thread rather interesting.
I have worked full time from the age of 18 and only stopped about 18 months ago just before my 65th birthday. My occupation was as a registered Nurse. I specialised in one of the more difficult part of Dementia which is not only developed by the elderly! The youngest person I cared for was 25 years old with three small children.

Similarly all my family work and I suspect that most people on here have also worked during their life.

So, is it being suggested that because I decided to live in Spain to be near one of my children and some cousins that I should not have my full pension and benefits.... I spend quite a lot of time in the UK, my banks are in the UK, I do not collect any credits etc, our car is always bought in England and tested in England every year.

So Supercrutch, are you telling me I should not have what I contributed to?

As for Spain being hot, well, yes this year has been very hot, but as has already been said the winter is quite truly freezing at times and the houses are very cold. Electric blankets, thick blankets etc are necessary, we even have snow, high winds, and thin walls, the houses are built with only one losd of bricks all around the house not insulated like the majority of homes in the UK.

Our governments over the years have made the decision that we should be part of the Europiean Community, I did not agree with this but had to accept this, but, it does mean that if you move from one country you can claim your pensions etc.

I must say that I have not heard very much about the pensioners who belonged to a very well known high street bank who failed to send out their pension because of a collapse within the computers system......I did not receive mine for 3 months, and thousands of others had to wait longer.!! Not one person was informed the company waited for each individual to contact them!!

Bridget

Sorry if there are any mistakes in the spelling but I am in a rush. :-0 :-)

I am aware that certain benefits are means tested. I was talking about people who are living on a basic state pension.
Spanish pensioners pay for dental treatment spectacles, eye tests etc. My husband has just had to pay €150 for an eye test & new single lens reading glasses & €100 for a repair to his hearing aid which cost over €2000.00 three years ago.
We don´t spend our life enjoying barbecues on the beach all year. Can´t afford to put petrol in the car to get to the beach.
On the other hand, I don´t imagine life would be any easier in England & I have no problem with accepting that things are as they are for pensioners wherever you live.
I just feel that if there are qualifying criteria for a benefit & you fulfil the criteria, you should recieve the benefit.
It´s no different than the young expats who live here & claim child benefit from the UK or EU citizens who live on benefits in the UK sending money back to their families in their home country.

Wisechild.

Some of the 'entitlements' you have listed as a UK resident are means tested. Free health care, yes, but within the NHS. Bus passes, yes but I believe that there is a proposal that these will be estimated in future as a benefit of £50.00 per year. Even so if someone is not receiving some of the other benefits you mention even a pensioner has to pay for dental care or spectacles even though an eye test is free, So even if receiving basic pension it depends on any savings that one may have. :-(

Well its only a suggestion.

After the next General Election !!........ :-)

To get back to the OP I thought they were only 'talking' about doing this. I didn'y realise that it was definate.

So what would you do if you were married to someone from another country?
Stay in England & conduct a long distance relationship??
It´s not a case of turning your back on England or anywhere else for that matter.
Anyone who has worked all their lives should be entitled to live where they choose after retirement. They´ve earned that right, just the same as they have earned their pensions& entitlements under European law & personally I feel it´s wrong that people who live outside the EU don´t get their annual increases. They have paid into the system just the same as everyone else & let´s be honest, pensioners tend to have more of a call on services that younger people. If we stayed in England we would be entitled to pension credits, free health care, attendance allowance, housing benefit, council tax benefit, free bus passes etc. We pay for all that out of our basic pensions. Don´t begrudge us 200 per year towards our fuel costs, please. last winter,that paid just one month´s electricity bill. On average we pay over 1.800€ per year for fuel. Not much less than in England.

Roy.
Several attempts have been made to draw the attention of the authorities both here & in England. All that happens is a polite "Thank you for letting us know. We will look into it".

As far as i'm concerned anyone who turns their back on this country shouldn't receive any entitlements.

I live in Northumberland where winters can be extreme, so I hope I won't be penalised in anyway.

wisechild, If i new of anyone fiddling the system then i would have no problem in reporting them,

Family or friend makes no difference they are still stealing from all who are or have paid in to the system and depriving people who need help and are in genuine need

Roy

You are absolutely right Merlin.
No wonder there are so many Spanish unemployed when employers can get away with paying very low "black" wages.
the Spanish government has, within the last few days, suddenly realised that the income tax revenue is being seriously depleted by the fact that so many people aren´t working......at least legally.......
They´re not wrong & their answer is to put up VAT& other taxes, which is just compounding the problem because people who were just scraping by before are now unable to cope.

I think thats what they call "Spanish Practices" wisechild,or the Black Economy,thus depriving people who need help of it.**M** :-S

Exactly what I was trying to say.
The criteria when I first applied for it was that you had to be living in the UK at the qualifying date in order to be eligible.
As it happened, I was, but 3 years down the line, DWP phoned me here in Spain to verify the date I left the UK.
Not unreasonable to check.
What really makes my blood boil is the number of people I know who live here permanently while claiming income support in England. They are often working here for cash,their benefit is paid directly into their English bank accounts & they fly back every 3 or 4 months to confirm that they are still looking for work.

I have no problem with this for ex-pats within the EU but any criteria for those living in the UK must also apply to ex-pats,

Roy

Can´t imagine why he would Joy.
In my experience the Spanish NHS is far superior.
can only assume he had no health insurance in Spain, which is illegal if you live here & for State pensioners from other EU countries, they are automatically entitled to everything free, just like a Spanish pensioner, as are their dependants even if the dependants are below pension age.
believe me, pensioners here struggle to make ends meet & not just the ex pat ones.

that's shocking while others struggle to make end meet

when my husband was in hospital
the man in the opposite bed had flow over from Spain for his treatment :-(