Winter Fuel Payment Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Work and Pensions
Monica Harding
Main Page: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)Department Debates - View all Monica Harding's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
Winter Fuel Payment
Monica Harding Excerpts(3 days, 16 hours ago)
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Torsten Bell
I cannot compete with my hon. Friend in making a powerful case that the SNP Government in Edinburgh do need to think again.
Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)
In my constituency, over 15,500 pensioners lost the winter fuel allowance, of whom 5,000 were over 80. Would the Minister like to apologise to the gentleman who wrote to me who had cancer and could not keep his heating on for the winter of worry he was put through?
Torsten Bell
I thank the hon. Member for raising that point. It is important that those in need of healthcare, in particular, receive support. It is not that we see higher levels of challenge in keeping the heating on among older generations; it is about the consequences of that, particularly in cases such as the one she raises. That is exactly why we need to ensure that we are turning around the NHS, which all the constituents of hon. Members in England are relying on. We are seeing improvements to waiting times in Wales as well.