Fight for UK carers' benefits

WE read with interest the information provided to G.C. (October issue) in response to his question regarding the possibility of people already living in France to claim carer's allowance (CA).

As you rightly pointed out, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on October 18 2007 declared that the UK had illegally stopped paying benefits, including CA, disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance (AA) by over-riding existing exportability rules.

As a result, anyone currently based in the UK receiving these benefits will be able to export certain components if they choose to relocate within another EEA state or Switzerland. However, it should be pointed out that for those expats seeking for reinstatement of these benefits, the Department of Works and Pension is “still considering the legal implications of paying benefit to people who are already living in another EEA state or Switzerland who wish to claim from abroad”.

We have taken this issue up with our previous UK constituent MP, who has approached the exportability co-ordinator of the DWP's Disability and Carers Service on our behalf - only to receive the same standard response.

It appears that Gordon Brown and his cronies are doing everything in their power to ensure that those people - unlawfully robbed of their legal entitlement to an exportable benefit - continue to be prevented from receiving any monies due to them.

We urge that readers of The Connexion affected by this discriminatory practice to approach their UK constituent member of parliament and ask them to put pressure on the government to abide by the ruling laid down by the ECJ, in order that this benefit is reinstated to those who need it most.

An e-petition has also been set up on the Downing Street website. Click here to access it.

After all, disabled people living abroad did not lose their disability at the moment of stepping aboard the plane/ferry/train.

Tina and John Hamilton
By email

Photo:Steve Woods