Ritchie welcomes progress on alleviating fuel poverty

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie today praised the work that has been done to alleviate fuel poverty and improve the quality of life for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Speaking at the launch of the second Inter-Departmental Group on Fuel Poverty the Minister said: “I believe that in the 21st century everyone has the right to a warm home and I am committed to doing all I can to make this a reality. Much has already been done to improve energy efficiency in homes - in fact there has been a 20% improvement over the past ten years and nearly all homes now have some form of central heating and loft insulation.

“Over the last year my Department has invested £20million in the Warm Homes Scheme and almost the same amount in the Housing Executive’s Heating Replacement Programme, while the Social Security Agency has spent over £50million on Winter Fuel Payments. Other Departments have also played their part throughout the year and I welcome that.”

The Minister went on to emphasise the significance of this work: “The impact of our work has been clearly demonstrated through recent figures which show a considerable drop in deaths linked to cold in recent years. While I believe that even one death from a cold related illness is one too many, this improvement is still very welcome news.”

Setting out the challenges ahead Ms Ritchie said: “Ensuring I have the necessary funding to build on the work that has been done is a real challenge and I hope to receive support from my Executive colleagues on this. I am determined to do the best I can for those who are elderly or vulnerable by continuing to seek additional resources to improve energy efficiency and ensure that these resources are targeted as effectively as possible. I am confident that by continuing to work in partnership, we will make further strides in tackling fuel poverty this year and in the year ahead.”

John McMullan, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Fuel Poverty Advisory Group welcomed the commitment of Margaret Ritchie:

"As Chair of the Minister's Fuel Poverty Advisory Group I welcome the Report and acknowledge her personal commitment to champion the fight against fuel poverty. This important commitment comes at a time when Northern Ireland fuel poverty is increasing to the highest regional level in the UK and possibly on this Island. It is therefore all the more important that the Executive in Stormont prioritises providing sufficient resources to tackle this issue, even at a time of difficult budgetary decisions."

Notes to Editors:

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