2,000 extradeaths due to fuelpoverty

Age Sector Platform, the charity responsible for the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament, says keeping warm in winter has been the biggest concern for pensioners since the parliament began in 2011.

Martin Gallagher from Age Sector Platform said: “Since the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament began in 2011, there have been 2,390 extra winter deaths here; with nine out of ten being over the age of 65. These harrowing statistics serve to highlight the devastating consequences fuel poverty can have for people in their later years.”

“The Pensioners Parliament on Fuel Poverty allowed older people from across Northern Ireland to come together to talk about the causes of fuel poverty and the potential solutions that could help.

“Energy efficiency of homes, the province’s dependence on oil and the lack of energy discount schemes here all play a role in heightening the impact of fuel poverty for older people in Northern Ireland.”