Archive for March 1, 2013
Irish who have returned from a lifetime of work in the UK could be eligible for UK Winter Fuel Payment
In last 10 years, the UK Government has paid out more than €9.5m under this scheme to Irish people who have returned to these shores
It has been highlighted that many Irish people returned from a lifetime of work in the UK could be eligible for the UK Winter Fuel Payment Allowance – even if they did not receive the payment while living there.
The UK Winter Fuel Payment Allowance continues to be paid to thousands of eligible Irish people who moved back to Ireland from the UK and had already been receiving the payment while living there.
Since 2002, the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions has paid out more than £8.2m (€9.5m) under this scheme to Irish people who returned to these shores after living and working all their lives in the UK. The annual payment ranges between £100 and £300 sterling depending on circumstances.
Irish and other nationalities in similar circumstances are eligible for these payments under European law, where some benefits acquired in one Member State must be paid to people who live outside that State, but within the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. As a consequence, Winter Fuel Payments were extended to former UK residents – including Irish people – living elsewhere in the EEA and Switzerland if they qualified for a payment before leaving the UK.
