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Dame Joan Bakewell: winter fuel allowance 'should be means tested': Telegraph

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Date published: 
Friday, October 22, 2010
News source: 
Telegraph
Region: 
United Kingdom
Featured item on home page: 
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Dame Joan Bakewell, formerly the government tsar for older people, has said the winter fuel allowance ought to be means tested. Speaking in an interview on the BBC's Newsnight, Dame Joan said: "I do think the winter fuel allowance should be means tested. Nick Collins and Robert Winnett, Telegraph, report:
 

I'm surprised that they didn't means test it. I tried to send mine back but they wouldn't have it. you can give it to charity as a means of recycling it I suppose."

However, Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, appeared to contradict her comments on the same programme by saying that wealthy pensioners were in fact encouraged to return their allowance.

More than 70 MPs, including the former shadow Home Secretary David Davis, are campaigning against the Government’s proposed cut in the winter fuel allowance this year.

The MPs, including those representing Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, have signed a Parliamentary motion calling on the Coalition to reverse its decision to cut the payment by £50.

George Osborne, the Chancellor, announced that this year pensioners aged over 60 will receive a £200 winter fuel allowance and those over 80 will receive £400. Last year, pensioners received £50 more.

The previous Labour government had announced that the payment would be cut and the Coalition did not reverse this decision.

The Parliamentary motion has been organised by Kelvin Hopkins, a Labour MP, but has been signed by Mr Davis. The former Conservative frontbencher has become an increasingly vocal critic of the Coalition since Mr Cameron became Prime Minister.

It would cost the Government about £600 million to increase the payment.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

 

 

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