10 January 2003
COLD WEATHER PAYMENTS BRING A WARM FRONT
Thousands of people in the West and North West of Northern Ireland will receive a Cold Weather Payment of £8.50 following the extremely low temperatures recorded over the last week, a spokesperson for the Department for Social Development announced today.
The spokesman said: "Payment was triggered by information from the Meteorological Office at Castlederg, which covers the West and North West, indicating sub-zero temperatures over a seven-day period.
"Those people in the areas affected do not need to make a claim for the £8.50 payment. It will be paid automatically by the Social Security Agency to people on Income Support and Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance who are in qualifying groups.
"The Cold Weather Payments will be made during week commencing 20 January 2003 and are additional to the Winter Fuel Payment that was paid before Christmas to people aged over 60 years."
The following postal code areas of Northern Ireland were affected by the cold spell: BT45 – BT48, BT70 and BT78 – BT82. Areas include Castlederg, Magherafelt, Maghera, Dungiven, Londonderry, Castlecaulfield, Omagh, Cookstown, Strabane and Dungannon.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Cold Weather Payments are triggered when the average daily temperature is, or is forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below, for a period of seven consecutive days. The temperature measurement is made by five meteorological stations located at Lisburn, Aldergrove, Ballykelly, Castlederg and St. Angelo (Enniskillen).
The payments are made automatically and people do not need to make a specific claim.
Those qualifying are people in receipt of Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance for one day during the period of cold weather who already receive an amount for a dependent child under five years or a pensioner premium or receive a disability type premium.
The areas affected by these cold weather payments include Castlederg, Magherafelt, Maghera, Dungiven, Londonderry, Castlecaulfield, Omagh, Cookstown Strabane and Dungannon.
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