Donegal Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

No special fuel payment as Hanafin rejects Sinn Fein's proposals.

Published: 2 February, 2010

Hanafin rejects call for special fuel payments is inhumane - Cora Harvey.

A County Councillor for the Stranorlar Electoral Area has described Minister Hanafins response to Sinn Fein's call for emergency payment for recipient of fuel allowance as inhumane and very disappointing.

Cllr Harvey said:

"Our Sinn Fein Dail Leader Caoimhghin o Caolain along with countless Sinn Fein Councillors had called for the introduction of an emergency type payment to fuel allowance recipients to help them cope with the crippling fuel costs over this severe weather period. This call has been rejected by Minister Hanafin.

Cllr Harvey continues;

In a response to the Sinn Fein Dail Leader Minister Hanafin has told us to direct people to the Community Welfare Officer and stated that a supplementary payment to all fuel allowance recipients would "not necessarily represent a good targeting of resources"

I am bitterly disappointed with Minister Hanafins rejection of this proposal. By now most people have totally exhausted their winter fuel budget and are struggling to keep their homes warm.

The fact is the fuel allowance is wholly inadequate even in normal circumstances, it barely covers a bag of coal, and Sinn Fein has previously called for the fuel allowance payment to be increased and/or extended. Families with young children and the elderly would nearly use a bag of coal in a day or two.
Given the unjust and unnecessary cuts in Social Welfare cuts in Budget 2010 and the loss of the 2009 Christmas bonus, the very least the Government should do is take exceptional measures to help those in least well off households.

Concluding Cllr Harvey said

Since Minister Hanafin is not going to accept our proposals we should now be urging the Minister for Finance to bring in an amendment to the budget to increase the fuel allowance and to extend it all year round. Furthermore we still don't even have a National Fuel Strategy whilst surveys show that above 10% of householders experience fuel poverty."