Christmas comes late for 1543 elderly people in Brecon & Radnorshire

12.00.00am GMT Tue 3rd Mar 2009

Kirsty with a Crickhowell pensioner

Christmas bonus payments for 1543 elderly people in Brecon & Radnorshire to help with winter fuel bills will not be paid until nearly Easter, warns Kirsty Williams AM.

According to research carried out by Liberal Democrats in Parliament, nearly one in ten older people will be getting their Christmas bonus at a time when their grandchildren are getting their Easter eggs.

The Lib Dems in Powys are leading calls to speed up payments and make sure older residents in the area get their bonus as soon as possible.

Kirsty said: "The lateness of this invaluable payment for so many pensioners is completely unacceptable. During a recession, and with so many people struggling with sky high heating and fuel bills, paying the bonus three months late is simply appalling.

"The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to ensure that payments are made promptly next Christmas. Making the elderly wait until it's nearly Easter is just not acceptable."

Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said, "The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, stood up in the House of Commons in November and promised pensioners a Christmas bonus on their winter fuel payments, but clearly this was nothing of the sort.

"It is outrageous that this money will not be reaching pensioners until nearly Easter."

Notes:

Parliamentary questions by Liberal Democrat MPs revealed that 8.69 percent of bonus payments - nearly one in ten - will not be made until March.

The parliamentary question and answer which provided this information can be found at:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090223/text/90223w0022.htm#09022327002566