§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will ensure that the parliamentary constituency of Don Valley is covered by a single weather station in respect of cold weather payments; and if he will make a statement. [17373]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe choice of weather stations for local areas is decided after consultation with the Meteorological Office. These linkages are constantly kept under review, and the Government have made a number of adjustments in successive years to ensure that weather stations are as representative as possible of the conditions in the areas they cover. Current Meteorological Office advice is that Leeds and Waddington are appropriate weather stations for the area in which the Don Valley constituency lies.
Where it can be shown that particular post code areas covering a large geographical area are not reasonably represented by the designated weather station or stations, the Department would consider, in consultation with the Meteorological Office, whether a change of weather station was appropriate. This would occur when the operation of the scheme is reviewed with the Meteorological Office after the end of March each year.