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UK spent up to €9m keeping Irish pensioners warm last winter

More than 26,000 pensioners in Ireland received fuel allowance payments from the British government last year, worth up to €9 million, new figures have revealed. Individuals in receipt of a UK state pension are eligible for the annual Winter Fuel Payment, regardless of where they live. Those aged under 80 receive £200 (€231), while older pensioners are paid £300 (€346). Advertisement A total of 34,300 recipients were located outside the United Kingdom last year – more than 76 per cent of whom were living in Ireland, according to data released by the British Department of Work and Pensions under freedom of information laws. The payments were worth between €6 million and €9 million, depending on the rate of allowance payable in each case. The country with the next-highest number of residents in receipt of a British state pension was Germany, where 2,190 were paid the fuel allowance last winter. Another 1,630 lived in Italy, and 780 were in Bulgaria. The number of Irish recipients fell by around 5.5 per cent last year after eligibility rules changed, linking the allowance to other benefits paid to those on low incomes, such as pension credit. Advertisement However, the British government rowed back on this decision following criticism by charities, unions and MPs; and universal eligibility has been restored for this winter – although those earning more than £35,000 (€40,410) will have the payment clawed back through taxation. The 26,230 individuals who received the British Winter Fuel Payment in Ireland last year included Irish citizens who previously worked in the UK, making them eligible for the British state pension – often in addition to the Irish state pension. They also include British citizens who may have relocated here. Unlike its UK counterpart, the Irish fuel allowance benefit is means-tested and payable only to pensioners earning less than €524 a week. If they also receive the British Winter Fuel Payment, this is assessed as income in the means test.