The Assembly's Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie has praised the work that has been done to alleviate fuel poverty and improve the quality of life for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Speaking at the launch of the second Inter-Departmental Group on Fuel Poverty the Minister said: "I believe that in the 21st Century everyone has the right to a warm home and I am committed to doing all I can to make this a reality. Much has already been done to improve energy efficiency in homes - in fact there has been a 20% improvement over the past ten years and nearly all homes now have some form of central heating and loft insulation."

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Over the last year the Department for Social Development has invested £20m in the Warm Homes Scheme and almost the same amount in the Housing Executive's Heating Replacement Programme, while the Social Security Agency has spent over £50m on Winter Fuel Payments.

The Minister added that there has been a considerable drop in deaths linked to cold in recent years. Setting out the challenges ahead Ms Ritchie said: "Ensuring I have the necessary funding to build on the work that has been done is a real challenge and I hope to receive support from my Executive colleagues on this. I am determined to do the best I can for those who are elderly or vulnerable by continuing to seek additional resources to improve energy efficiency and ensure that these resources are targeted as effectively as possible. I am confident that by continuing to work in partnership, we will make further strides in tackling fuel poverty this year and in the year ahead."

John McMullan, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Fuel Poverty Advisory Group welcomed the commitment of Margaret Ritchie. He outlined the importance of the provision of sufficient resources to tackle the issue even at a time of difficult budgetary decisions.

(GK/JM)