All NI pensioner households hit by winter fuel support cut to get £100 – Lyons

All pensioner households successful Northern Ireland affected by cuts to wintertime substance enactment are to person a one-off outgo of £100.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said the outgo would beryllium made earlier the extremity of March 2025.

Earlier this year, the Labour Government announced that winter substance payments would beryllium means-tested.

The arguable alteration removed the enactment for the bulk of pensioners, impacting an estimated 249,000 successful Northern Ireland.

While opposing the alteration astatine the time, Mr Lyons has said helium had to travel it truthful Northern Ireland did not interruption parity with the remainder of the UK implicit societal information payments.

Mr Lyons told the Northern Ireland Assembly connected Tuesday helium had present bid for and received £17 cardinal to mitigate against the changes.

He told MLAs: “I tin corroborate a one-off wintertime substance outgo of £100 volition beryllium paid to each pensioner households affected by the Labour Government’s decision.

“I judge this inaugural reflects my committedness to fairness, compassion, and work towards our older population.

I anticipation this announcement brings immoderate comfortableness to those who were astir affected

Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister

“My officials are present moving astatine gait to hole and bring guardant the indispensable authorities and to finalise arrangements.

“This outgo volition beryllium made disposable to each pensioner households who person had their wintertime substance payments removed.

“There volition beryllium nary exertion process arsenic we volition automatically place eligible individuals done existing records.

“This attack volition guarantee a creaseless and businesslike organisation of payments without the further load of exertion forms oregon reddish tape.

“The outgo volition beryllium made earlier the extremity of March 2025.

“However, I americium moving intimately with officials to present this arsenic soon arsenic possible.”

Mr Lyons said helium would proceed to run for the UK Government to reconstruct the wintertime substance outgo successful full.

He concluded: “I anticipation this announcement brings immoderate comfortableness to those who were astir affected.”

Responding to the announcement, SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said: “March 2025 truly helps no-one today.

“You cognize afloat the struggles that radical are facing.

“One 100 pounds contiguous buys 150 litres of heating oil; that truly does not spell acold capable to assistance those struggling.”