Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons are for the inclusion of French Overseas Departments in the calculation of average temperature for France for the purposes of determining eligibility for winter fuel payments to UK citizens.

The French Government treats its French Overseas Departments (départments d’outre mer or DOMs) as integral parts of the French State and so they are not subject to any separate rules relating to the application of EU social security co-ordination.

Winter Fuel Payments are currently available to those entitled in the DOMs, and are not restricted to UK citizens but are available to all EU residents who have an entitlement to a UK Winter Fuel Payment.

The calculation of the average winter temperatures for Spain and Portugal also includes these countries’ respective, relevant overseas territories, where the same EU social security coordination rules apply.