Ulster Unionist Belfast City Council candidates, Graham Craig (Botanic) and Jeffrey Dudgeon MBE (Balmoral), have urged pensioners to check their benefit entitlement after the publication of a Department for Social Development (DSD) report identified pensioner incomes have fallen by 8% in Northern Ireland.

Speaking today, Jeffrey Dudgeon, said:

“The findings of this report are shocking, especially when our own, locally based Government Department presides over benefit uptake and benefit entitlement.

“The Northern Ireland Executive and especially the Minister for Social Development, Nelson McCausland, have an obligation to pensioners to ensure that they are not missing out because of administration and instead receive all support that they are entitled to.

“The old and vulnerable deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. The elderly are at severe risk of fuel poverty, another issue the Minister for Social Development is responsible for. Unfortunately Northern Ireland continues to have the worst rates within the UK, with recent studies suggesting over 40% of households continue to be affected. One wonders where his priorities lie?”

Graham Craig urged pensioners to check and claim all they were entitled to:

“Pensioners get a tough deal when it comes to everyday living, especially in heating and eating. Many pensioners have to choose between the two, in a modern society with all support that is available that should most certainly not be the case.

“I urge pensioners to check that they are receiving everything they are entitled to. If you are receiving a state pension you may be entitled to pension credit. This entitlement is income based, so it is worth checking out to ensure that you are not missing out.

“Many of the older generation today grew up in the era of ‘From Cradle to Grave’, yet find themselves left out, isolated and struggling.”