Policy

(10 May 2022) Age Action will address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on Planning: on the Provision of housing for older people, including Fair Deal on 10 May, where they will advocate for a package of safeguarding measures to be put in place to protect older people living in nursing homes as well as reforms to allow 100% of rental income on the person's primary residence to be disregarded by the HSE under the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Fair Deal).

(13 April 2022) As Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland prepare to exit the Irish market, Age Action is calling for a transparent process to be initiated across all the banks, which allows customers the opportunity to switch their accounts in a timely manner with the appropriate level of support and staffing levels to meet customers’ expectations. 

(31 March 2022) Age Action is calling on the Government to reintroduce the Energy Guarantee for Older Persons, which would provide a minimum quantity of energy for all older persons, as part of a comprehensive new national energy poverty strategy. The call comes as the latest price increases of 23.4% for electricity and 24.8% for gas were announced by Electric Ireland. 

(15 March 2022) Reacting to Bord Gáis Energy’s announced price increase of 39% for gas and 27% for electricity, Age Action’s Senior Public Affairs and Policy Specialist, Nat O’Connor, said “Many older persons will be unable to afford this price increase, meaning that people will be unable to heat their homes adequately unless they are given extra support. Many older people need to keep their homes extra warm for health reasons.”

(8 February 2022) Reacting to the Government agreement to an €8 billion retrofit programme, aiming to bring 500,000 homes to B+ energy ratings, Celine Clarke, Head of Advocacy and Communications at Age Action said “We welcome the fact that this programme for government commitment is a step closer to implementation as climate action is urgently needed but we need it to be in the spirit of climate justice. The home retrofit programme is going to take at least eight years to deliver its promise to retrofit half a million homes. But older people need help with their energy bills now, as energy prices went up by 27% in 2021 and are expected to rise further. That is why Age Action has called for a new energy poverty strategy, to include new measures to use carbon tax revenue to fund energy payments to every older person who cannot afford rising energy costs”.

(8 February 2022) Age Action has written to all TDs and Senators to insist that the Government publishes a new energy poverty strategy asap, with real solutions for the many older persons on low incomes and in poorly insulated housing. The cost of energy is central to the cost-of-living crisis. In one year, between December 2020 and December 2021, the cost of energy rose by 27%, and energy costs are now 34% higher than December 2016. Up to 28% of households may be in fuel poverty, including 165,000 of households with older persons.  
Yet, the Government’s Strategy to combat energy poverty 2016-2019 is out of date, and the current energy cost crisis has shown that it needs to be substantially revised. 

(22 November 2021) eir, the principal provider of fixed-line and mobile telecommunications services in Ireland, today announced the launch of a new approach to provide specialised support for (older customers. ‘Age friendly care from eir’ has been designed in partnership with Age Action and Age Friendly Ireland, and includes the introduction of a dedicated phone line supported by a team of care agents who are specially trained in working with customers aged 65 and over.

(19 November 2021) Today is Ireland's first National Adult Safeguarding Day. Age Action is supporting Adult Safeguarding Day as a member of the National Safeguarding Advisory Committee.The event is being coordinated by Safeguarding Ireland – in partnership with organisations across the health, social, financial and justice sectors. The aim is to raise a greater awareness and understanding of adult safeguarding and the prevention abuse, neglect and coercive control. Safeguarding Ireland has called on the general public, organisations, service providers, professionals and politicians to support the event.

(16 November 2021) Today on International Tolerance Day, Age Action, as a member of the Coalition Against Hate Crime, joined 19 other organisations, academics and individuals representing communities commonly targeted by hate crime and discrimination have called on the government to enact promised legislation against hate and to make ending hate crimes a national priority.  The Oireachtas Justice Committee will hear from several of these organisations at its first hearing on the Hate Crime Bill on Wednesday. 

Hate crimes are existing crimes motivated by hatred against people because of their actual or perceived membership of a particular group. They are message crimes, intended to frighten, intimidate and silence entire communities. Society as a whole suffers as a result, yet Ireland has no laws to protect our communities from these crimes.