Gordon Brown, Chancellor.
Gordon Brown mis-leads Pensioners
over Winter Fuel Suppliment payments (4th February 1998).
85% of pensioners will have to
wait until at least March to receive the winter fuel supplement promised to them in Gordon
Brown’s Pre-Budget Statement, according to official Benefits Agency figures obtained
by Liberal Democrat Social Security spokesman David Rendel MP.
Gordon Brown claimed in his Pre-Budget Statement on 25 November 1997 that “the money will be paid in time to meet winter fuel bills”. But the measure has suffered from not being thought through. Peter Mathison, Benefits Agency Chief Executive, has now admitted that it has been “an enormous and unprecedented exercise” and that some payments will even be sent in April.
David Rendel said:
“This is a case of the Government planning its headlines before it works out its policy.
“Labour has been deliberately misleading by saying that the majority of winter fuel payments will be paid before March - the facts of the matter are that 85% of payments will be made during March itself or even later.
“Labour’s TV advert, which says “there is no reason not to turn up your heating now”, is useless for those pensioners who use pre-payment meters and may not receive their payments until after March.”