Latest news with #CommunitiesMinister
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Winter fuel payments: NI minister says scammers are targeting pensioners
Scammers are already targeting pensioners who are hoping to get their winter fuel payments restored, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has warned. It comes a day after it was confirmed the payments, which the government stopped for millions of pensioners across the UK, have now been told the Northern Ireland Assembly he is aware of a number of "scams in circulation", in which pensioners are being contacted and asked for their banking said it is "disgraceful" that people are "trying to take advantage of pensioners" less than 24 hours after the payments were restored. The minister reminded those who are in line for the payments that the money will be paid out automatically, and there is no need to provide details or fill out application also reassured assembly members that pensioners in Northern Ireland will receive their payments at the same time as others across the how the scheme will work, he said legislation will be passed by the end of July that will clear the way for payments to be made before the stressed there will be no additional cost for the Northern Ireland Executive as the money will be provided from London. He said only those pensioners who earn £35,000 or less will be Monday, payments of up to £300 per household for those over 80 and £200 for those under 80 were confirmed for Northern England and Wales, payments will be made to all pensioners before HMRC will recover money from those earning over £35,000 through taxation. What are winter fuel payments? Winter Fuel Payments were created in 1997 to help everyone above state pension age with their winter heating Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced last year that winter 2024 would be the first time pensioners in England and Wales would not be eligible for the Ireland was forced to follow were then restricted to those on benefits and pension credit.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Concern over ‘worrying' picture around Northern Ireland's listed buildings
A 'worrying picture' has been described around the apparently worsening condition of listed buildings in Northern Ireland. New research has found that just over 61% of listed buildings are in a very good, good or average condition, a 15.6% reduction from a similar survey in 2014/15 (76.9%). The figure also represents a further 8.8% reduction to the equivalent figure of a 2004/05 survey (85.7%), although this is described as not an exact statistical comparison. It follows the publication of new research which examined a statistically reliable sample of 1,504 of the around 9,000 listed buildings in the region over an 11-month period. It was found that 61.3% were rated as being in very good, good or average condition, while 36% were found to be poor or very poor. Buildings grade A and B+ were found to generally be in better condition than those graded B1, B2 and B, while a higher proportion of church-owned buildings were rated very good/good (39.1%) compared with private buildings (21.7%) and public buildings (23.1%). Meanwhile, the results also show that a third of listed buildings are currently vacant, and the proportion of vacant buildings was higher by 11% in the 2023/24 survey (33.3%) compared with the 2014/15 baseline survey (22.3%). Communities Minister Gordon Lyons expressed concern around the findings. 'This research, commissioned by my department, paints a very worrying picture of the state of our listed buildings,' he said. 'This is a finite resource of just over 9,000 structures that is important, not just as a tangible representation of our history but because of the character it brings and the economic and social potential it holds for our region. 'Heritage is a key driver of tourism to Northern Ireland and a source of civic pride and identity. Once lost, it and the potential that it holds are gone forever.' Mr Lyons added: 'I have asked my Department to consider this within the Heritage, Culture and Creativity Programme. 'The new programme will deliver policies for arts, museums, public libraries and the historic environment. 'These are due to go to public consultation this year and my hope is that the Historic Environment Policy will provide the step change that we need and help kickstart a proper appreciation of our built heritage – what we have and how it can be utilised creatively, for public benefit.'
