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Robinson Announces Help For Ulster Fuel Poor
10th December 2011
Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, has announced that more than 250,000 people in the province will benefit from a one-off fuel allowance payment this winter. Funded under the Social Protection Fund, which was established by the Northern Ireland Executive in March 2011 to mitigate against the impact of the harsh economic climate on the most vulnerable in society, the initiative will support older people, cancer sufferers and individuals receiving a number of income based benefits.
- A £100 payment will be made to those in receipt of Pension Credit;
- A £100 payment will be made tor those receiving cancer treatment;
- A £75 payment will be paid to those in receipt of Income Support;
- A £75 payment will be made to those in receipt of Employment Support Allowance income related;
- A £75 payment will be made to those in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance income based
There is no application process - payments will be automatically issued to those who are eligible and are expected to total around £23million. The First Minister said,"The delivery of a fuel poverty initiative this year was identified by the Executive as one of our most pressing issues due to the impact of increased household energy costs, that affect us all, but particularly those who are most likely already experiencing significant levels of fuel poverty.
"Those who are struggling to keep their homes warm this winter will draw comfort from this decision, which will help alleviate the financial burden on some of our most vulnerable citizens - low income families, pensioners and those who are being treated for cancer."
Claire Keatinge, Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland said, "Keeping warm and keeping well in the winter is really important for the health and well-being of older people. Too many older people find it hard to manage on their income, and find the rising cost of fuel a real problem.
"Today's announcement of additional financial support to help older people meet costs of fuel is very welcome indeed. The Northern Ireland Executive haS made a strong and positive contribution to assisting older people this winter. As Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland I am pleased to see this additional payment to help older people keep warm and keep well."
Payment recipients will be determined by a 'qualifying week' in December 2011 and payments are expected to be issued in February 2012.
The Consumer Council in Northern Ireland has also welcomed the announcement. The Consumer Council is also calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to include long-term solutions for fuel poverty as a key commitment in its Programme for Government currently out for consultation.
Antoinette McKeown, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council said, "As a member of the Fuel Poverty Coalition Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council has welcomed the news that an additional fuel payment is to be made to almost 250,000 households to help cover the costs of heating their home during this winter.
"This brings much needed immediate relief for many households here given one in two households are in fuel poverty. In particular, we welcome the extension of this payment to cancer patients given the impact of fuel poverty within this group. The Consumer Council will continue to call for the NI Executive to develop sustainable solutions to remove households in fuel poverty. Measures such as energy brokering, regulation of the heating oil industry and incentives to encourage fuel poor households to move to natural gas, could all eliminate fuel poverty. The Consumer Council, as a member of the Fuel Poverty Coalition, is commited to working with our Assembly to address this issue to eradicate fuel poverty in Northern Ireland."
