Battle against fuel poverty will go on - Ritchie

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie MLA today pledged that the battle against fuel poverty will go on.

Speaking in the Assembly, she said that fuel poverty is when more than 10% of a household’s income is spent on keeping their home at an acceptable level of temperature and is influenced by three factors - low income, poor energy efficiency and high energy costs. The Minister said:

“Government continues to provide significant funding to the Warm Homes Scheme and the Housing Executive’s improvement programmes that address poor energy efficiency. In the last year, these programmes received approximately £44million and as a result around 16,000 homes were provided with energy efficiency measures. The work carried out under the Warm Homes Scheme has increased from 8,250 to 10,000 homes and eligibility has been extended to include those aged 60 or over in receipt of non means tested disability benefits.

In addition, funding is now available for a number of fuel poverty partnership schemes. In the 2007-08 year, Northern Ireland Electricity will manage a £4.5million package of measures aimed at providing central heating and insulation to priority vulnerable households.

“We know that a large number of those on incomes below £15,000 per year are likely to be in fuel poverty and measures such as the provision of the £200 winter fuel payments, the introduction of Pension Credit and the various benefit uptake projects which have been undertaken are all aimed at helping to maximise household income. Research has raised concerns about the number of people who appear not to have claimed the support to which they are entitled. It is intolerable that vulnerable people are missing out on support that is rightfully theirs. This is another issue that I am determined to address.

About £4billion per annum is spent by my Department on social security benefits and it is essential that this money is getting to those who need it most. The success of last year’s benefit uptake initiative which targeted almost 21,000 clients, including older people, is very encouraging. The average increase of £45 per week generated over £6million in additional annual benefit, making a real difference to people’s lives. In the year ahead we will be targeting people with disabilities, long term illness, pensioners, carers and families with children.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

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