Daniel Kawczynski MP makes his point by way of an open letter to Gordon Brown:
Dear Prime Minister,
You claim to be committed to our veterans who have suffered from combat stress. Yet your Government has excluded our combat stress veterans from extra funding during cold weather.
Your Government is today providing an extra payment to help towards extra heating costs incurred during the severe weather conditions for people on a low income and in receipt of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit
This payment is paid automatically when the average temperature in each area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days during the period from 1 November to 31 March.
However, many people who do not qualify for this payment still have trouble heating their homes, including combat stress veterans. It is often our most vulnerable citizens who have the most difficulty making ends meet. Quite simply, hard-pressed families should not have to choose between keeping warm and getting into debt.
The sacrifices made by veterans in service of this country are nothing short of inspirational, and they deserve not only the respect and gratitude of its citizens but the support and empathy of its government.
My constituent, Jim Geraghty, and other combat stress veterans have been told by the relevant department in Walsall that they are not entitled to this payment. I would like to ask you why your Government is not offering more support for combat stress veterans who are suffering as a result of this severe weather. Please use your position to change the eligibility criteria so that our combat stress veterans get their extra £25 payment during the severe weather we have experienced.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Kawczynski MP
