Conservatives submit Early Day Motion to hold a debate on Winter Fuel Payments

Saturday, 24 August 2024 08:59

The Conservative Party have today submitted an Early Day Motion to challenge the Government to hold a debate on Winter Fuel Payments. The Government laid The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 Statutory Instrument (SI) on the 22nd August. Under Parliamentary procedure the Government does not have to provide time for the SI to be debated, despite the heavy criticism of Labour for announcing it would cut the Winter Fuel Payments for millions of...Request free trial

The Conservative Party have today submitted an Early Day Motion to challenge the Government to hold a debate on Winter Fuel Payments.

The Government laid The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 Statutory Instrument (SI) on the 22nd August.

Under Parliamentary procedure the Government does not have to provide time for the SI to be debated, despite the heavy criticism of Labour for announcing it would cut the Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners. A survey this week found that 59% of people are against this cut.

The Conservative Party have taken the steps to submit this Early Day Motion to ensure that this matter is debated before Parliament, allowing Members of Parliament to put forward the views of many of their constituents.

The SI also reveals that the Labour Government have taken this decision to hit decision to hit pensioners despite there not being “a full impact assessment….produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, public or voluntary sectors is foreseen."

The Conservative Party have submitted this motion:

“That a humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 148), dated 22 August, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August, be annulled.”

The motion has been signed by Rishi Sunak MP, Jeremy Hunt MP, Mel Stride MP and Claire Coutinho MP.

Commenting Laura Trott MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:

“Labour's disastrous decision to scrap Winter Fuel Payments must be held to account.

“This Labour government has tried to avoid scrutiny in parliament for the consequences of their actions, but the public deserve better.

“On behalf of the ten million pensioners left on the hook for Labour's political prioritisation of their union paymasters, we are determined to ensure this issue is debated.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Almost 60 per cent of the public oppose the Labour government's decision to scrap winter fuel payments for some pensioners. A survey this week found that 59 per cent of people are against the cut to winter fuel payments (End Fuel Poverty, 23 August 2023, link)

In 2022-23, 11.4 million people received a Winter Fuel Payment.In winter 2022 to 2023, around 11.4 million people received a Winter Fuel Payment, an increase of around 157,000 payments from the previous year (DWP, Official Statistics, 19 September 2023, link).

In 2022-23, 8.4 million households received a Winter Fuel Payment. This was an increase of around 146,000 households since 2021-22 (DWP, Official Statistics, 19 September 2023, link).

In August 2023, there were 1.375 million Pension Credit claimants. This representsa total of 1.6 million beneficiaries including partners (DWP, Accredited official statistics, 13 February 2024, link).

An estimated 880,000 pensioner households are eligible for Pension Credit but do not claim it.In February 2024, there were an estimated 880,000 households eligible for the support who are yet to claim it (DWP, Press Release, 25 February 2024, link).