WEST Belfast People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has called on the the Communities Minister to reinstate Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners in full.
Last year, the payment to about 250,000 pensioners in the North was cut in a cost-saving measure by the new Labour government. An extra £17m was found following a Stormont monitoring round and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons secured money to grant a £100 one-off payment to support pensioners who were affected by cuts to winter fuel support.
On Monday, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income £35,000 or below will now be eligible for the payment, accounting for more than three quarters of pensioners in total. It means the majority of pensioners will get the payment of £200, for those under 80, and £300 for those over 80.
The situation for pensioners in the North remains unclear.
“Labour’s U-turn on the Winter Fuel Payment is a testament to the many thousands of activists and trade unionists who tirelessly campaigned against cruel cuts affecting some of the most vulnerable in our society,” said West Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly.
“This partial reversal is an acknowledgement that forcing pensioners to choose between heating and eating was a huge political mistake for Labour.”
“The Communities Minister should not only follow suit – he must go further. His previously announced one-off payment of £100 is not nearly enough to help pensioners heat their homes and stay warm in the years to come.
"Gordon Lyons must commit to using any resulting Barnett consequentials to reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment in full, for all pensioners across the North.”
In a statement, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: “My opposition to eligibility restrictions on the Winter Fuel Payment has been absolute, an opposition that I have consistently made known to Labour government ministers.
“I also wrote to the Prime Minister, along with my Executive colleagues, outlining our total opposition to the changes and calling on him to reinstate a universal Winter Fuel Payment that protects all pensioners.
“I welcome the u-turn announced today and I will be engaging with Executive colleagues to ensure similar support is provided in Northern Ireland.
“My officials are engaging with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to understand how the changes to the Winter Fuel payment announced today will be implemented, to ensure Northern Ireland is ready to follow suit.”
