Payment of Retirement Pension and Widow’s Benefit abroad

Are you or one of your family members one of the unfortunate “frozen” ones whose British Pension is pegged?  If so read on!

The South African Alliance of British Pensioners is vigorously pursuing a campaign to “end the freezing” of pensions paid to roughly 500 000 British pensioners living outside the United Kingdom.  Over 90% of this number live in Commonwealth countries. An estimated 36 000 British pensioners live in Southern Africa.

The freezing applies from the time the pension was first paid, and there are people who are still drawing the same pension they did 20 years ago. The older they are the lower the pension.  Some married couples are receiving £54 per month.  Most of them have no other source of income and are now in dire straits being faced with high medical costs (no National Health Scheme) coupled with an ever rising cost of living.

British pensioners living in the United Kingdom, Europe, USA and many other non-commonwealth countries receive a cost of living increment every April. In 2001 it was 7,4%.

All previous approaches to rectify the situation have been turned down by the UK Government under one pretext or another, the main one being it would cost too much. All it would cost is about a quarter of a percent of the DWP budget.

LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE UK GOVERNMENT

With the passing in October 2000 of a new Human Rights act, legal opinion in London considered there was a strong case for the South African Alliance of British Pensioners to take action against the British Government. Acting on their advice, the Alliance was given a unanimous mandate by its members at the AGM in May 2001 to start the necessary legal proceedings.  This was done on 6th July 2001 when an application for Judicial Review of a lead case was lodged in the High Court in London.

Click here to see what action you can take.

This is an extract from a recent British Government
leaflet about the payment of pensions.

Retirement Pensions and Widows Benefit can normally be paid to you anywhere.
You will not get annual increases in Retirement Pension or Widow’s Benefit if you go to live outside the United Kingdom (except in the countries listed below).  This means that benefits will stay at the same rate as when you left the United Kingdom, or when you first qualified for the benefit if you were already living abroad at the time.

Annual increase may be payable if you live in an EEA country or one of the following countries and are covered by the appropriate legislation:

If you do not get the increase while you are abroad, you will get the higher rate of  benefit if you return to or visit the United Kingdom or the other countries listed above - other than Bermuda or USA.  The lower rate will be paid when you leave if your stay in the United Kingdom or other country was only temporary.

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