UK debate on expat disability benefit
Expats who have lost their disability living allowance should urge their MPs to attend a debate in parliament next week
BRITISH expats who have been refused UK disability benefits since moving to France have been urged to email their MPs ahead of a debate on the issue in parliament next week.
North Thanet MP Roger Gale, who has been championing the exportable benefits cause, has secured a 90-minute Westminster Hall debate next Tuesday (January 12) from 9.30.
He is asking anyone affected by the UK's interpretation of the rules on disability living allowance (DLA) to contact their own MPs before the debate, asking them to attend and pledge their support. Two other similar benefits, carer’s allowance and attendance allowance, are also concerned.
Many expats have been struggling on reduced means after losing them since moving to France. Despite a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2007 that the benefits should be exportable, the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions has been refusing DLA to claimants who have not spent 26 out of the past 52 weeks in the UK.
This interpretation of the rules was overridden by a British tribunal ruling last year and is also being challenged by the European Commission.
DLA is for those who need help with personal care due to disabilities. It comes in two parts – a care component that the UK now considers exportable (for those leaving now), and a mobility part, which it does not.
The “mobility component” is currently worth £18.65 or £49.10 and the “care component” from £18.65 - £70.35 per week depending on the person’s needs.
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