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29/05/2012
Fuel Poverty Report Published
Action must be taken to help the nearly-half of NI people who are worried about the cost of heating their homes, a report has found.
Coming at the end of a week-long heatwave, figure might have looked out of place, but today’s report from the NI Assembly's Committee for Social Development suggested solutions for the rest of the year.
Chairman Alex Maskey MLA said: "Fuel poverty has become endemic in our communities with recent statistics citing that over 44% of people here are finding it increasingly difficult to heat their homes. We believe that our recommendations are realistic, practical and viable and if implemented will make a very real difference to the way we tackle fuel poverty in our local communities."
Households that spend more than 10% of their income on keeping warm are defined as fuel poor, and a recent report found that nearly two thousand winter deaths in the last decade were due to people living in cold, damp homes.
One recommendation was that Thematic Action Groups (TAGS) be set up to find "agreed workable, realistic and time-bound" solutions.
They could bring in pay-as-you-go schemes for home heating, to help people stay on top of the cost, or promote benefits designed to help people in fuel poverty.
Mr Maskey concluded: "We are under no illusion that there are any quick fixes. However, it is vital that the recommendations identified in the report are urgently considered and taken forward."
(NE)
Coming at the end of a week-long heatwave, figure might have looked out of place, but today’s report from the NI Assembly's Committee for Social Development suggested solutions for the rest of the year.
Chairman Alex Maskey MLA said: "Fuel poverty has become endemic in our communities with recent statistics citing that over 44% of people here are finding it increasingly difficult to heat their homes. We believe that our recommendations are realistic, practical and viable and if implemented will make a very real difference to the way we tackle fuel poverty in our local communities."
Households that spend more than 10% of their income on keeping warm are defined as fuel poor, and a recent report found that nearly two thousand winter deaths in the last decade were due to people living in cold, damp homes.
One recommendation was that Thematic Action Groups (TAGS) be set up to find "agreed workable, realistic and time-bound" solutions.
They could bring in pay-as-you-go schemes for home heating, to help people stay on top of the cost, or promote benefits designed to help people in fuel poverty.
Mr Maskey concluded: "We are under no illusion that there are any quick fixes. However, it is vital that the recommendations identified in the report are urgently considered and taken forward."
(NE)
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Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:Showers gradually die out to leave good clear spells in the evening and overnight. This will allow a few fog patches to develop in places. A cold night with some ground frost. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
