Mon, 09 Jun 2025

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 NI pensioners could have winter fuel payments restored

The payment, to about 250,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland, was cut last year in a cost-saving measure.

* The UK government has reversed a decision to cut winter fuel payments to pensioners in Northern Ireland, restoring the payment to 250,000 people.
* Pensioners under 80 will receive £200 and those over 80 will receive £300.
* Those earning more than £35,000 per year are not eligible for the payment.
* The Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons welcomed the U-turn, saying it was "good news".
* Northern Ireland's Commissioner for Older People, Siobhan Casey, called on the government to provide clarity on the payments and said it would have been better if the payment had been universal.
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