The SDLP’s Mark H Durkan said the Executive must provide urgent clarity for pensioners on whether the decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to only those on Pension Credit, will apply in Northern Ireland.
The Foyle MLA said: “When plans to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners was announced by the UK Chancellor, I wrote to the Communities Minister to ask what this would mean for pensioners in the North, I await his response.
“Every year, these payments are issued from November onwards- there is a notable turn in the weather and with the colder months on the horizon, people need to know if the can continue to access this support.
“It is unacceptable that two months out, pensioners here don’t know where they stand. The Winter Fuel Payment is lifeline for so many households, one that is eagerly and anxiously awaited year on year.
“I’ve appealed to the Communities Minister to retain this support, warning of the major implications the cut will have on society’s most vulnerable cohort.
“Not only will people be forced to consider the heating or eating dilemma but this truly is a matter of life and death.
“Fuel poverty and the effects of a cold home on the older population can have dire consequences.
“The Executive must consider the regional impact of this policy decision in Northern Ireland which as of February 2024 had 24% households in fuel poverty compared to 13% of households in England.
“A decision on this situation must be provided as a matter of urgency.”
