Cynthia calls for u-turn on heating grants for pensioners

IRELAND South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has labelled as “cruel and petty” moves by the EU Commission to stop local authorities giving grants for our pensioners to replace their oil and gas heating systems when they break. Ms Ní Mhurchú has called on the European Commission to rethink these new EU laws, which came into force in Ireland on 1 January.

Before that date, local authorities could help pensioners to replace a gas or oil heating system under the Housing Aid for Older People grant. This is an essential fund that local councils use to repair and improve the condition of vulnerable older pensioners’ homes in the community.

Vulnerable pensioners could get their broken gas and oil burners fixed or replaced. Under the revised Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, grants cannot now be allocated for heating systems powered by natural gas, oil or coal.

As Ireland experiences sub-zero temperatures, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has described this as an unintended consequence of what is otherwise a positive directive.

“This EU law was agreed before my time. Most pensioners have gas or oil-based heating systems. This grant helped them to repair them or replace them when they became old and obsolete,” she explained.

“A renewable replacement is not always an option in this case due to costs and construction works. While I understand that we should not be investing in fossil fuels, surely in this case there must be a realisation that there is no alternative and that we cannot leave the vulnerable pensioners with substandard heating systems.” Ms Ní Mhurchú stated that she will raise the issue with the EU Commission and will work with the incoming government to raise this issue at the highest levels in the European Union.