SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has expressed serious concerns about the decision to restrict the winter fuel payment for pensioners in receipt of benefits.
Last month Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that from autumn 2024, individuals not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer receive the annual payment worth between £100 and £300.
Mr Durkan has written to Communities Minister Gordon Lyons urging clarity on what the decision will mean for Northern Ireland.
Said the Foyle MLA: “The consequences of this decision will be devastating for thousands of vulnerable households who have come to rely on this payment to cover heating costs during the winter months.
“It will lead to more pensioners experiencing health issues related to the cold, such as hypothermia and exacerbated chronic illnesses, which will place further strain on our healthcare system.
“Every winter 290 people die across the North due to cold homes – that number is likely to rise among or elderly population without access to fuel support.
“Individuals who receive the full state pension worth £220.20 per week won’t qualify for Pension Credit and therefore, under these changes won’t be entitled to a winter fuel payment.
“It’s ludicrous that a household entitled to a meagre yearly income of £11,450.50 isn’t deemed worthy of support.
“Many pensioners are already struggling to make ends meet, forced to choose between heating and other necessities and that’s with the winter fuel payment.
“For too long pensioners have been treated with flagrant disregard by government, left without the support and dignity they deserve to enjoy their golden years in relative comfort.
“They shouldn’t be facing a battle to keep their homes warm and food on the table.
“This move will have a disproportionate impact in the North which has the highest rates of fuel poverty in the UK and will hit harder for pensioners living in areas of high deprivation, like Derry and Strabane.
“Recent Communities Minister here have displayed a reluctance to deviate from parity with the Department for Work and Pensions around this payment.
“That said, I’ve written to Minister Lyons seeking further clarity.
“It’s clear a separate approach to the winter fuel payment is required in Northern Ireland.”
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