§ Mr. RogersTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the level of payment of Christmas bonuses to recipients of the state pension in the various member states of the European Union. [65069]
§ Mr. TimmsOur legislation provides that a £10 Christmas Bonus is payable to people present or ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom or any other member State, who are entitled to receive a qualifying benefit, including State Pension, in the first week in December.
No other European Union member country makes a similar lump sum payment to its pensioners. However, some member states, including Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain make an additional payment equal to the customer's monthly pension in the month of December.