COLD WEATHER PAYMENTS

That this House calls for an upgrade in cold weather payments of 250 payment and 400 respectively to those entitled on the basis that the cold weather system was created to deal with cold but not arctic conditions; seeks an adjustment in the winter fuel payment to enable all who reach the qualifying age in the calendar year to receive the payment rather than the present arrangements whereby only those who are 60 or 80 before the end of September in a calendar year receive the payment; and further calls for a change in the cold weather payment whereby a payment is triggered when there is acute cold weather for five days and not just where temperatures are at or below zero for seven days.