Fifth of people with long-term health issues unable to heat home — CSO

'Analysis of utility bill arrears […] shows that one in five (20.5%) households with a ‘severely limited’ member had arrears [due to financial difficulties] on utility bills sometime in the 12-month period before they were interviewed,' the CSO said.

More than one in five people limited by long-term health problems were unable to adequately heat their home, new data from the Central Statistics Office has shown.

New statistics published by the CSO suggest people living with chronic conditions that limit their daily activities face a much greater burden from housing costs and utility bills, and are more likely to be at risk of poverty and living in enforced deprivation, than people whose activities are not limited by such conditions.