Communities Minister Gordon Lyons tells the assembly Northern Ireland cannot afford to break parity with UK.
It is estimated that about 249,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland will not receive a winter fuel payment this year
The UK government is coming under pressure to row back on its plan, but the prime minister has insisted tough financial choices cannot be avoided. "Therefore, it came as a surprise to us all, that the government would announce the removal of this important benefit and I can confirm that my department was given no prior notice of the planned change."
Mr Lyons added that the estimated additional cost of Stormont maintaining the payments, without help from Westminster, was £44.3m for 2024/25.He also said that an appropriate IT system to deliver the payments in Northern Ireland could cost between £5m and £8m and a further 20% of the development spend per staffing costs.
The Department for Work and Pensions estimates about 249,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland will be affected.
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