Assistance to Pensioners and welfare recipients

The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament supports the call for Assistance to Pensioners and welfare recipients

Action is needed now to ensure that people have heat and hot food. We ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to make a hardship payment to pensioners and welfare recipients of a sum equivalent to one week’s pension or welfare payment.

With weather conditions expected to drop to -12 degrees over the coming week it is important that people are given the money to enable them to heat their homes and buy hot food. After Christmas those on low incomes are always short of money. This year the shortage of money is compounded by the non payment of the Additional Week at Christmas and also the reduction in payments to those aged under 66.

Speaking today Mairead Hayes CEO of the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament said

This is the longest and coldest period of weather in Ireland for over 50 years. Decisive action must be taken now to deal with it. All efforts must be made to protect life and limb.  This is an emergency and all organs of government must be mobilised to deal with it

Continuing she asked all in the community to call on their older and vulnerable neighbours to see if they can help in any way. She particularly called on Older People to take the initiative and get in touch with their neighbours and ask them for assistance.