Pensioners in Northern Ireland who suffered from cuts in winter fuel support are set to receive a much-needed financial boost, thanks to a one-off payment initiative announced by Stormont’s devolved government. The new measure promises to ease the burden for those hit hardest by last year’s austerity measures implemented by the UK Labour government under Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
In a recent committee briefing, officials outlined the payment details: individual pensioners living alone will receive £100, while in households with more than one eligible pensioner, each will get £50. The Department for Communities has expressed strong confidence in processing these payments swiftly, with an ambitious goal to have all funds transferred before the end of March, reported the Express.
This comes as a relief for approximately 249,000 pensioners who lost their full winter fuel support due to changes that limited the benefit only to those on certain benefits, such as Pension Credit.
Originally, the winter fuel support payment provided amounts ranging from £200 to £300 to all pensioners. However, the policy was later restricted, leading to significant financial strain on many who depended on the support. In response to mounting public criticism, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced in November that a one-off payment would be distributed to those negatively affected. He confirmed that £17 million had been earmarked from an in-year monitoring fund to support this initiative.
The newly introduced Pension Age Fuel Support Payment Scheme is designed for rapid delivery, with payments being directly deposited into pensioners’ bank accounts. Speaking before the Stormont Communities Committee on Thursday morning, David Tarr estimated that the total value of the initiative would be about £18 million, a figure that does not include the administrative and IT costs associated with processing the payments.
Conrad McConnell, a key figure involved in the implementation of the scheme, highlighted the urgency of the project. He stated, “There are an estimated 179,000 households in Northern Ireland expected to receive this payment. We started work immediately once the announcement was made to put in all the necessary IT and logistical arrangements to ensure the issuing of the payments before the end of March.”
He further emphasized the team’s dedication: “We have a dedicated team in place which meets weekly and works on this every day to make this happen on time. There are lots of strands involved in this work. But despite all the complexity across all the various strands of work… we are on track to have the payment paid before the end of March 2025.”
Committee chair Colm Gildernew welcomed the development, condemning the previous cuts by describing them as “disgraceful” and expressing approval of the government’s corrective action. This one-off payment is widely seen as a crucial step toward mitigating the impact of past austerity measures on Northern Ireland’s most vulnerable pensioners.
What’s Next?
- Migrants Eye UK as Germany Plans New Deportation Centre on Polish Border
- Brit Mum Faces Arrest After Heart Attack Leaves Her Trapped in Moroccan Hospital
- Young Father of Two Faces Devastating Prognosis as He Battles Aggressive Brain Tumour
- Atlantic Storm to Unleash 8 Inches of Snow and a Deluge of Torrential Rain
- Liz Truss Blasts ‘Deeply Rotten’ British State in Scathing Attack
