£100 payment to help pensioners with winter fuel cuts

Pensioners in Northern Ireland affected by cuts to winter fuel support are to get a one-off £100 payment from Stormont, Gordon Lyons has said.

In August, the UK Government said winter fuel payments would be means tested and only go to pensioners on certain benefits.

The communities minister criticised the government for taking the decision, but said Northern Ireland would have to follow suit.

Last week, Lyons said £17m had been found in Stormont's latest monitoring round to allow him to help households affected by the cut.

It is estimated about 249,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland were going to be affected by cuts to winter fuel payments this year.

The Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, Eddie Lynch, said the one-off £100 payment was a "welcome announcement".

However, he told the BBC's Evening Extra programme that "it clearly isn't enough".

"This is going to people who would have been receiving two or three hundred pounds to help them get through the winter months," he added.

"So people will still have a shortfall, people will still struggle this winter."

Mr Lynch said he was "concerned" by reports that the new payments may not be paid out until March.

Paschal McKeown, director of the charity Age NI, said she welcomed the payment and that older people will not need to apply for the support.

However, she added many older people are "facing increased financial pressure" and the charity is "deeply disappointed that the amount allocated may fall short of what older people really need to stay warm during the long winter days and nights".

Ms McKeown said Age NI will continue to call on the executive to make sure pensioners receive the appropriate financial support.

Anne Watson, an 85 year-old pensioner from Newtownabbey in County Antrim told BBC News NI that "a lot of pensioners are going to have major difficulties" this winter.

Mrs Watson welcomed the announcement from Lyons, but added that "waiting to March to give it means it’s not going to be any help this winter".

"There are a lot of people who will go to the supermarkets and buy cheaper quality, and something that will do less good because it’s a lesser price, and they’re going to be sitting in the cold, and there are going to be masses of problems with help," she said.

She added that it would also have implications for the health service if pensioners aren't able to heat and feed themselves properly: "They’ll be going to their doctors, the pharmacy.

"The doctor’s surgeries and hospitals are bad enough as they are now…they’re not going to get any better, that’s for sure."

On Tuesday, the communities minister told the Northern Ireland Assembly he wanted to ensure that every pensioner has support to "stay warm and safe" during the winter.

He said that the initiative of a one-off £100 payment was based on options explored after the additional funding was provided to his department last week.

"I believe this initiative reflects my commitment to fairness, compassion, and responsibility towards our older population," he added.

"My officials are now working at pace to prepare and bring forward the necessary legislation and to finalise arrangements.

"The payment will be made before the end of March 2025, however I am working closely with officials to deliver this as soon as possible."

Speaking to BBC News NI, Lyons said: "This is a one-off payment because DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) have agreed to administer this for one year.

"We don't have the certainty of the funding for another year and we don't have the certainty of the IT equipment being available to deliver for another year either.

"But I said I would do what I could and that's what I have done today."

The minister said there will be no application process, as the department will automatically identify eligible individuals through existing records.

"This approach will ensure a smooth and efficient distribution of payments, without the additional burden of application forms or red tape," he added.

Lyons said he disagreed with the government's decision to change how winter fuel support works and that he would continue to make the case for its full reinstatement.

Under the changes, about 57,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland will be eligible to receive winter fuel payments, at an estimated cost of £10.5m.

To qualify for the payment of up to £300, pensioners must receive pension credit or other means-tested benefits.

Lyons told the assembly that from August to October this year, 3,026 applications for pension credit had been received by his department - representing a rise of about 56% from the same time last year.