One-off fuel allowance payment

absoluteutopia

Glad to see pensioners (Pension Credit) getting this, not sure about the rest. Why single out cancer? im sure theres a load of people with just as serious conditions could use the max help

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/money-tax-and-benefits/benefits-and-financial-support/one-off-fuel-allowance-payment.htm

More than 250,000 people in Northern Ireland will benefit from a one-off fuel allowance payment this winter. The payment will support older people, cancer sufferers and individuals receiving a number of income-based benefits. How the payment is allocated

There is no application process – payments will be automatically issued to those who are eligible.
This payment towards household fuel costs is expected to total around £23million. The money will be allocated on the following basis:

• a £100 payment will be made to those in receipt of Pension Credit
• a £100 payment will be made tor those receiving cancer treatment
• a £75 payment will be paid to those in receipt of Income Support
• a £75 payment will be made to those in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance income related
• a £75 payment will be made to those in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance income based

Payment recipients will be determined by a ‘qualifying week’ in December 2011 and payments are expected to be issued in February 2012

Artofdookie

Bit of a joke isnt it, know people who work bloody hard and cant afford to heat their homes, where's the help for them the tax payer?

spike7451

I'm on ESA Contribution Based which I have been on since I was laid off in June for my heart (I've since had a couple TAI strokes) so I don't qualify for this payment even tho I am on the same income as those on Income Based ESA.
While I agree that it's a joke that you pay your taxes & get sweet f.a in return,it also angers me that those on long term benefit,those on Income Based benefit,get help when those in the same situation as them,but not been on the benefit as long due to them previously working,thus being the benefit that disallows them,get the shaft.
Seems to me these payments are geared towards helping those on long term benefits so the is,in effect,incentive to stay on them

duchesspink1

i'm not sure anyone is going to stay long term on a benefit just to receive a £75 payout!

jsa isn't a lot of money to live on so affording fuel and energy is difficult. I'm glad to see that this has been announced today, it'll certainly help me out and many others that are on the verge of choosing food or heat. I've worked for 22 years and this is a blip for me in my employment history, I never realised that benefits are such an awful existance and for sure when i'm working again, i'll never have a second thought about people on benefits. I'm ashamed to say that in the past I was quick off the mark to complain about the unemployed etc but now I see what you actually get to live on, I can't see why or how anyone would choose that life.

spike7451

duchesspink1 wrote: »

i'm not sure anyone is going to stay long term on a benefit just to receive a £75 payout!

jsa isn't a lot of money to live on so affording fuel and energy is difficult. I'm glad to see that this has been announced today, it'll certainly help me out and many others that are on the verge of choosing food or heat. I've worked for 22 years and this is a blip for me in my employment history, I never realised that benefits are such an awful existance and for sure when i'm working again, i'll never have a second thought about people on benefits. I'm ashamed to say that in the past I was quick off the mark to complain about the unemployed etc but now I see what you actually get to live on, I can't see why or how anyone would choose that life.

My neighbors daughter has two kids,is in her early to mid thirties & has never had a job in her life.I'm in the same boat as yourself,worked since I was sixteen solidly until redundancy,since then it's been low paid temp work until I was laid off.
What annoys me is the are people on Income based ESA who will get the payment yet someone who is on contribution based ESA,who may well be worse off health wise & financially will loose out,they should be assessed on an individual case basis & people should have to apply for the payment,irrespective of what benefit they are on.I'm living on £98* a fortnight ESA so truthfully,the winter payment would come in handy.

*I'm paying back crisis loans at a higher rate than was agreed when I took them out,Loans I had to take out to start work & also until my ESA started.

saverbuyer

I wouldn’t want to be on benefits. I sympathise with the long term sick. However I don’t think there are enough jobs out there for everyone. To be honest I get more disgusted at the 240,000 public sector worker numbers than the 60,000 job seekers.

However I think people on benefits “forget” that although they may only be getting £65.00 a week jobs seekers there are other “benefits” while on benefits us workers don’t get. Like £100 a week housing benefit, free rates of £700+ a year, free glasses, free dentist, child benefit, child credit, mortgage interest support, winter fuel payment, and the extra time spent with the kids while we are at work. The £65.00 per week figure masks the other massive perks.
There’s probably a lot of working people out there with £65 per week disposable income after all outgoings.

NAR

Can't understand cancer patients being singled out to receive this either. Treatment for various cancers doesn't leave you housebound and needing to use extra fuel, but having, say, two broken legs will! Not very well thought through IMHO.

wanchai_2

I welcome this announcement - it is the mark of a civilised society that we help those in need.

I agree that there are some people out there who are unemployed and would love a job, and others who are milking the system and who have no intention of working, ever, in their lives.

However, I am disappointed by the divisive comments about who gets this payment and who doesn't. Let us turn our anger/frustration on the decision makers and those who caused this mess, not on each other. Otherwise, we are just playing into their hands (by 'they', I mean the Government etc).

---

This 'joke' sums up the 'divide and conquer' strategy of the current Government very well:

A Tory MP, a Daily Mail reader, a banker and a teacher are sat at a table. On the table is a plate containing 10 biscuits. The banker scoffs 9 of the biscuits, then the Tory leans towards the Mail reader and whispers, "Careful, that teacher is after your biscuit".

duchesspink1

Happymumandwife wrote: »

Our dentist went private recently & I was calling round looking for an Nhs dentist and you know out of 15 I called 14 of them wouldn't take us on as an Nhs patient - BECAUSE WE DON'T RECEIVE ANY BENEFIT HELP! so these people even bloody get dentists before working people can!

The system is so wrong! It's a total disgrace!

Happymumandwife, where do you live in NI? I'm asking as I worked in dentistry here for the last 22 years and know of at least 15 dental practices that are accepting NHS patients. The NHS isn't dependant on you being on benefits and certainly you need to report any practices that have said they'll only offer you nhs treatment if you're on a benefit as that is illegal for them to do so.

On the NHS, paying patients pay 80% of their treatment costs and the other 20% is funded by the NHS. It is open and available to anyone that requires it.

I've just been at my dental practice where i get free treatment anyway as i've known the dentist for 20 years, I usually buy a bottle of whiskey in return for any treatment, but they have a huge sign up welcoming new NHS patients, In dunmurry there are 2 that are accepting new patients, lisburn area is at least 7 that are accepting, any of the dental world clinics covering, bradbury place, crumlin road, ballysillan, dundonald and newtonabbey are all accepting too.

let me know where you are and i'll tell you who to register with

Old_Git

NAR wrote: »

Can't understand cancer patients being singled out to receive this either. Treatment for various cancers doesn't leave you housebound and needing to use extra fuel, but having, say, two broken legs will! Not very well thought through IMHO.

Treatment for cancer often leaves the person feeling cold and requiring extra heat .People generally dont die from a broken leg ,but cancer is very different as the resistance is low .

metalgal

i wish i got i have osteoarthritis in both my hips and the cold weather means they seize up and become very painful i cant even walk some days a bit of help with the oil would be great but sadly it will be hot water bottles to my hips for me this winter