AQW 39656/11-15

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 02/12/2014
Answered On Date: 16/12/2014
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Social Development how his Department are working with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to ensure that the homes of older people are a priority target for fuel poverty assistance, in order to avoid ill-health during the winter months.

Answer:

Since 2001 my Department has spent over £160 million through the Warm Homes Scheme to improve the energy efficiency of more than 125,000 low income households including the homes of many older people. The Warm Homes Scheme will end in March 2015.

Research and piloting has taken place for over 2 years which has allowed us to develop a targeting tool and build fuel poverty risk maps for Northern Ireland. These maps listed the households most at risk of fuel poverty at census output area level, Councils staff involved in the pilot then called at properties in each council areas a completed a detailed survey. Assistance was then offered to the households who took part in the survey, of those homes identified more than 50% of the occupants were over 60 years of age.

During the course of the pilots officials from my Department met with representatives from the Public Health Agency (PHA), to discuss the development of the new scheme, and the important role which PHA has to play.

On 15 September 2014 my Department introduced a new Affordable Warmth Scheme working in partnership with councils and the Housing Executive to deliver energy efficiency improvements to low income households using a targeted area based approach. I am confident that the new Affordable Warmth Scheme will improve the energy efficiency of the homes of many older people.