Poor die of cold while rich get richer

Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has said figures showing that an estimated 1,200 people per year are dying from cold are an indictment on this government’s policies.

Deputy Crowe criticised cuts to fuel allowance and pointed to a report showing that the wealthiest 300 people in the state got richer last year as an argument for higher taxes for the most wealthy.

He said;

“The St Vincent de Paul charity confirmed at a conference at the weekend that their outlay on fuel assistance rose from €3.79m in 2008 to €10.37m in 2011.

“In spite of SVP’s help, it is estimated that 1,200 people are dying as a direct result of fuel poverty every year. That is 1,200 mostly elderly people dying of the cold or hypothermia every year.  That figure is an indictment on the policies of this government.

“The cut to fuel allowance introduced by this government in last year’s budget was cruel, unnecessary and is directly contributing to deaths in the community.

“Minister Burton will claim that there is no money available to pay for this but the reality is quite different.

“The day before the conference a special supplement in one newspaper reported that the 300 wealthiest Irish people saw their wealth grow almost 6.3% or €3.9bn last year, to a net worth of more than €66bn.

“It’s a matter of government choice but surely it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask some of these wealthy individuals to carry a larger part of the burden during these difficult days.

“I want to reiterate the call from Seán Moynihan, the Chief Executive of the charity Alone, who has urged people to check on elderly neighbours during this bout of cold weather.”