Kieran McCarthy MLA said: “I am shocked by the number of elderly people who died from the cold last winter. The Executive must do better to protect the elderly during the winter. They must ensure that there is sufficient funding for the warm homes scheme to ensure our elderly people do not have to make the choice between heating and eating
“The Executive had amply time to put more money into ensuring our elderly would not suffer from the effects the winter. There was a large demonstration last November at Stormont, in which I attended, calling on the Executive to act to prevent people from having to choose between ‘heat or eat’. Yet it took several months for them to do anything.
“It is time senior citizens had sufficient income to at least ensure their homes are kept warm to avoid these unnecessary deaths.”
ENDS