Devolved government to issue payments of up to £100 to pensioners affected by Winter Fuel Payment cuts

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An estimated 249,000 people over State Pension age affected by the eligibility rule change to the Winter Fuel Payment are to receive a one-off payment of up to £100 before the end of March.

Pensioners in Northern Ireland are set to receive a payment of £100 if they are living alone and £50 will be issued to each eligible person over 66 living in one household.The Pension Age Fuel Support Payment Scheme is aimed to be delivered before the end of March, with payments to be delivered directly into bank accounts.

It’s a move that will be of interest to the 850,000 people in Scotland who missed out on Winter Fuel Payments after the Scottish Government followed Westminster’s policy change to only provide the annual heating help of up to £300 to those in receipt of means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit.Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced last November a one-off payment for those affected by the cut, and secured £17 million from an in-year monitoring fund for the move.

Appearing at the Stormont Communities Committee on Thursday morning, David Tarr said the total value of the payments is estimated to be around £18 million, excluding administration and IT costs.Conrad McConnell said following the announcement by the minister that work started “immediately” to get the payment out.“There are an estimated 179,000 households in Northern Ireland expected to receive this payment,” he said.