8 October 2003
ONE IN THREE CAN’T AFFORD WARMTH IN NORTHERN IRELAND SAYS SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTER
"Nearly one in every three families in Northern Ireland face difficulty in paying their fuel bills" said John Spellar, MP, earlier today.
The Minister’s comments came at the launch of the Department for Social Development’s consultation paper "Towards a Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland". Fuel poverty is the situation in which a household cannot afford to heat their home to acceptable levels for reasons of cost. Mr. Spellar went on to say:
"We have a serious problem in Northern Ireland, where so very many people suffer from fuel poverty. Some 203,000 households suffer from fuel poverty in Northern Ireland. The problem is not just an energy efficiency issue - low income and high fuel prices are both important factors in Northern Ireland. Most households in fuel poverty have total incomes of less than £10,000 per year.
"The consultation paper we are launching today seeks views on how we should go about ridding Northern Ireland of this problem. It is vitally important that those with experience of living with fuel poverty and those who tackle it make their views known to the Department."
The consultation paper describes the main causes of fuel poverty: low incomes, high fuel costs and poor energy efficiency. The paper discusses the evidence of serious health problems caused by the cold, particularly among vulnerable groups such as families with children, older people, and those who are sick or living with a disability, and it describes the types of work that is already being done to help.
The consultation process runs until the end of December 2003.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
www.dsdni.gov.uk
- In Northern Ireland 33% of all households are fuel poor, compared with only 9% in England.
- About 61% of all Northern Ireland Housing Executive homes suffer fuel poverty, despite in many cases, relatively good standards of energy efficiency. Fuel poverty correlates very closely with low household income: 87% of households in fuel poverty have total incomes less than 10k per year.
- Copies of the report are available from DSD Housing Division, Andras House, Great Victoria Street, Belfast Tel: 028 9091 0068 or the consultation zone on the Department’s website
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