AQW 53399/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 30/09/2026
Answered On Date: 13/10/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any assessment his Department has made of fuel poverty among people of state pension age who are not entitled to means-tested benefits.

Answer:

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive published the Northern Ireland House Condition Survey 2023 Fuel Poverty Key Findings on 30 September 2026.

The Survey estimated that 46% of households containing one or more people of pensionable age were living in fuel poverty, rising to 56% for households headed by a person aged 75 years or over.

The Survey does not provide a separate estimate for people of State Pension age who are not entitled to means-tested benefits, and my Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of this group.