Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if, in view of the findings of research on fuel poverty and older people by the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Institute of Public Health funded by Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland and due to be published in the coming weeks, showing that during the winter of 2006/7 there were 1,281 excess winter deaths and that of these, the vast majority were older persons, 1,216 were aged over 65 years, she will accede to the petition sponsored by an organisation (details supplied) which states that hundreds of older people die each winter here because they cannot afford to keep themselves warm and that could be saved if she reversed her decision to cut their electricity and gas units; if she will reverse the cuts to the free gas and electricity units available under the household benefits package in view of the increased hardship it will cause for older persons on low incomes. [36205/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The research referred to has not been published to date. However, my Department will spend over €530 million in 2011 on the fuel scheme and the telephone, gas and electricity elements of the household benefits package which will benefit some 390,000 people on household benefits and 375,000 on the fuel allowance. In 2005 there were 325,000 people on household benefits and 265,000 on the fuel allowance at a cost of €280 million. The costs have almost doubled in six years while the number of customers has risen by more than 20%.

My Department is covering the cost of the price increases in electricity which came into effect from 1st October. The electricity allowance, which was €35.80 per month, has increased to €39.40. The price increases will cost the Department over €4 million in 2011 and €17.3 million in a full year. Difficult decisions had to be made in light of the existing economic situation and commitments made by the previous government. A number of measures for savings in 2011 and future years were specified as part of Budget 2011 but were not announced by the Government at the time. These included a saving of €30 million in the energy and telephone elements of the household benefits package in 2011 and subsequent years. They also included the abolition of the smokeless fuel allowance with a saving of €7.7 million in 2011 and €17.5 million in subsequent years. The number of free units provided under the electricity and gas allowance were reduced from 2,400 to 1,800 with a view to generating savings of €17 million in 2011 and €65 million annually.

Excess winter deaths are generally defined as the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding autumn (August to November) and the following summer (April to July).

Ireland, in common with other European countries, experiences higher levels of mortality in the winter than in the summer. Studies have found that mortality increases as mean daily temperatures fall (below 18 degrees). However, it is the countries with (relatively) the mildest winters in Europe which report the greatest excess deaths. This has been termed the 'paradox of excess winter mortality'. There is no simple clear cut explanation for excess winter mortality. The factors include the increased prevalence of influenza and cold viruses during the winter months; older age – especially for people aged 75 years and over or those who are frail; poverty/fuel poverty; poor housing stock; living alone.

The most cost-effective means of protecting households from energy poverty is to reduce consumption of energy through improving the home's thermal efficiency. Sustainable Energy Ireland has administered the Warmer Homes programme for privately owned low-income households since 2001, benefitting 65,000 households, with a further 15,000 to receive upgrades this year. A similar programme is in place for local authority houses.

We should also bear in mind that data show that households comprising predominantly older people have lower consistent poverty rates than other age categories. In 2009 single adults aged over 65 with no children had a consistent poverty rate of 0.6% while people in households with 2 adults at least one of whom was aged 65 or over with no children had a consistent poverty rate of 1.0%. In the general population, 5.5% of people were in consistent poverty. The Survey on Income and Living Conditions (2009) also showed that the elderly were less likely than other groups to have gone without heating in the previous year.