The death by hypothermia of a young Dublin mother after the city
council turned off her heat is a tragic example of the ''consequences''
we can expect to face if we do not tackle the issue of fuel poverty, the
St Vincent de Paul (SVP) has told an energy conference.
John Mark McCafferty, head of social justice and policy with SVP was
among several organisations who partook in the two-day conference
organised by Energy Action.
Raising the issue.
''For us, this was all about raising the major issue of fuel poverty
and how that's caused by low incomes, poor housing quality and the
rising price of energy,'' he said.
With 355,000 households receiving fuel allowances at present, Mr
McCafferty suggested that investment in quality housing could create
long term savings.
''We wouldn't want to see anyone disenfranchised due to a reduction
in the allowance but there is a trade off. It's not enough just to
maintain the status quo; we have to address fuel poverty now.''