Derry pensioners hit by Winter Fuel Payment cuts to get one-off £100 fuel support between now and March

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said he will allocate £17 million from the Executive to mitigate the impact of changes to the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP).

The funds, allocated following the October monitoring fund, will be used to provide a one-off fuel support payment of £100 to pensioners no longer eligible for WFP.

Back in August Mr. Lyons said he would be following the lead of the British Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who announced in July that WFPs in England and Wales would be restricted to those people receiving Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits only.

At the time he said he strongly disagreed with the decision but had no choice but to proceed with means-testing due to the budgetary situation.

On Tuesday Mr. Lyons said the £17m one-off allocation would benefit a quarter-of-a-million people.

An estimated 250,000 pensioners, in approximately 170,000 households, who were set to lose out after the UK government’s decision to means-test the WFP, will receive the automatic payment. E

Eligibility criteria will be that previously used for WFPs and payments will be issued before the end of March 2025.

Mr. Lyons said: “Since the unwelcome and unexpected decision by the UK government to limit WFP to those in receipt of Pension Credit and other means tested benefits, I have sought to secure fuel support for affected pensioners so I welcome the £17million allocation.

“My Department will use these funds to provide a one-off £100 payment to pensioners no longer eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment.

“Having previously tasked my officials with readying the relevant legislation in the event of a funding allocation, I expect the payment to be made automatically before the end of March 2025.”

Foyle SDLP MLA Mark H. Durkan said the announcement was ‘too little, too late’.

“While any financial support is welcome, I am deeply concerned that this payment will arrive too late for many pensioners. At this stage, we’re talking spring fuel support rather than winter.

“It's particularly galling that this week, with wintry weather and cold spells on the horizon, that our elderly and arguably most vulnerable cohort, is being told they could be waiting four months before support is available.

"The Minister said he recognised the need to get this money paid out as quickly as possible but that contradicts what we’ve been told today. It’s taken two and a half months for him to announce a one-off hardship payment which at £100 falls far short of what pensioners would have received under the traditional Winter Fuel Payment. People are essentially waiting longer to be paid less.

"We also cannot forget the fact that the Minister chose to follow Westminster in implementing cuts to winter fuel in the first place. The SDLP opposed these cuts at Westminster and in the Assembly,” said Mr. Durkan.

The eligibility criteria for the one-off fuel support payment will be the same applied to the WFP before the changes announced by the UK government.

This means pensioners must have been born before September 23, 1958 in the qualifying week (Monday, September 16 to Sunday, September 22, 2024) to be eligible for the one-off £100 payment.

There will be one payment for pensioner household affected by the WFP changes. No application is required and payments will be made by the same method as WFP.

Minister Lyons said: “Whilst I hope this payment will go some way to supporting those pensioners affected by the changes to WFPs, I recognise that it will not fully mitigate its impact so I am encouraging everyone to check their benefit entitlement.

“Just last week, I announced an uptake in additional benefits of £62million in 2023/24 through my Department’s Make the Call service, £21.3million of which went to pensioners.

“This free and confidential service puts people in touch with support to which they may be entitled but have not been claiming. Pension Credit in particular, can provide access to a range of other supports and benefits which can be a lifeline for our older generations.

“My Department will continue its Pension Credit promotional activities with applications having increased by 56 per cent during August to October from the corresponding period last year.

“A Pension Credit claim can be made online, by telephone or post, and people can use the Pension Credit calculator online to check their potential entitlement.

“I want to ensure that all available support and entitlements go directly to those who most need them so would encourage everyone to ‘make the call’.”

But Mr. Durkan said: "Today’s announcement of a one-off payment fails to address the long-term needs of those excluded from the Winter Fuel Payment.

"While Minister Lyons points fingers elsewhere, the reality is that successive Communities Ministers and his Executive colleagues have consistently neglected to tackle deepening fuel poverty.

"This is not just about a single payment but rather the absence of a comprehensive plan to support struggling households being plunged further into poverty.

“The absence of an Anti-Poverty Strategy and the lack of effective measures to combat poverty highlight a worrying disregard for those struggling to make ends meet. This strategy has been presented as a panacea but we’ve waited over 20 years to see it enacted.

"The Minister and the Executive need to take responsibility for the decisions they make, decisions, which I fear, will leave many out in the cold this winter.”