Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie visited a home in Downpatrick which has benefited through the Warm Homes Scheme.

Thousands of people throughout Northern Ireland have benefited from better heating and better energy efficiency as a result of the scheme.

As part of Warm Homes Week, the Minister called into the Ardenlee Gardens home of Mrs Loretta Murphy, who recently had a new central heating system installed and home insulation fitted through the Warm Homes Scheme.

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Margaret Ritchie said: "I am very pleased to be in Downpatrick to visit another home which will be warmer this winter thanks to the Warm Homes Scheme. The Warm Homes Scheme is my Department's main instrument in tackling fuel poverty in Northern Ireland. Over the past year the scheme has improved the energy efficiency in over 11,000 households with approximately 4,000 households receiving new or upgraded heating systems."

Margaret Ritchie then highlighted the fact that the draft budget for her Department next year will put pressure on delivering the Warm Homes Scheme at the same levels.

The Minister said: "I want to do everything in my power to champion the rights of the vulnerable, the elderly and those in poverty. While the final budget that my Department has been allocated for next year is not agreed and is still in draft form, it will nevertheless present serious challenges and hard choices, not least for the Warm Homes Scheme."

(JM)