Age Sector Platform, a campaigning body which represents around 200,000 older people in Northern Ireland, has responded to the announcements made in yesterday’s budget; describing them as having ‘minimal impact for older people’.

Bill Carson, Chair of Age Sector Platform, commented: “Although the budget has ensured that the state pension will be protected from negative inflation; promised that the winter fuel payment will remain at the same level as last year and acknowledged the value of grandparents in caring for children, these measures simply do not go far enough.  This budget means that pensioners will receive an additional £2.40 per week from next April – this will have little impact on the 80,000 pensioners living in poverty in Northern Ireland[i]”.

Mr Carson continued: “A complete overhaul of the state pension system is needed.  The Government needs to immediately raise the state pension above the poverty level for all pensioners and increase it in line with either average earnings or inflation – whichever is the greater.  A fair state pension would eradicate many of the income related problems facing older people caused by unfair means-testing, low benefit uptake, a weak private pensions system and a low interest rate.”

“This budget, although recognising the problems being faced by older people with small pots of savings, seems to ignore the most vulnerable sections of the older population who are struggling to pay their daily bills.  The inflation rate for over 75 year olds is nearly two-thirds higher than the official rate of inflation[ii].  Action is needed to help pensioners who are still spending a higher proportion of their limited income on food and fuel.”

“Rising unemployment among workers aged 50+ during the recession is also an issue of concern which was not addressed by the budget.  Over the last year, unemployment has increased by around 35% among the over-50s, a higher percentage than among any other age group.  Once out of work, they are also less likely to find another job, with unemployed men aged 50+ having only a one in five chance of being in work two years later[iii].  More needs to be done to ensure that older workers are not pre-maturely driven out of the job market and forced to live in poverty.”