£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 “positive step” but should not be seen as a replacement for regular winter fuel allowances.

“The removal of this support leaves a significant gap, especially for those older people who are on fixed incomes,” Mr Lynch added.

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.