Cold snap reveals need to review fuel poverty help rules in favour of cancer patients, while water makes a splash

IT TOOK time but there was some belated focus during the recent "cold snap" on the plight of pensioners risking illness or death by keeping their heating turned off in fear of the cost.

The help given to pensioners in cold conditions is better than it used to be, but still a long way short of what's needed, particularly from the energy companies profiting from the adverse weather. What's less well known is that people undergoing treatment for cancer have no such help on hand – cancer patients do not automatically qualify for fuel poverty assistance.

Research carried out recently by the Macmillan Cancer Support charity found that one in five cancer patients turns the heating off even when they are suffering from the cold because they are worried about their energy bills. As it stands, the winter fuel payment – between 125 and 400 – is given to everyone over 60 to help cover fuel bills, but this is not extended to cancer patients.

Macmillan rightly argues that people with cancer should be eligible for social tariffs and included in the new mandatory price support to give them discounts on fuel bills. Anyone who has experienced cancer or is close to someone who has undergone treatment for it will know that it involves spending a lot of time at home recovering from chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and other treatment. This means cancer patients face higher than average energy bills – particularly in conditions such as those experienced in recent weeks – at a time when around 70 per cent are having to get by on reduced incomes. Then there's the detrimental impact of suffering from the cold on recovery, not only physically (especially for those battling fatigue) but psychologically.

To support Macmillan's campaign for more support for cancer patients, write to your MP or MSP and/or sign the online petition at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Cancer-keepwarm/#detail.

EMERGING markets, gold and renewables tend to feature prominently in any debate over investment themes for this year and beyond. If you were to focus on the themes most likely to dominate over the longer term, however, you would look at the burgeoning demand for the world's natural resources. The shortage of fresh water is perhaps the most profound threat facing the world, which for industry and for investors translates into opportunities. It is estimated that fresh water amounts to less than 1 per cent of the world's water supply, yet demand for fresh water is accelerating. The bulk of the demand will be from India, China and sub-Saharan Africa, but it is estimated that in the US alone, about $325 billion needs to be invested in drinking water by 2030.

That gives an indication of the investment potential offered by water over the long-term. Investment firm Williams de Broe, which dubbed water as "blue gold", used its Vision 2010 document to persuasively outline exactly why water is set to be the biggest investment opportunity around. It acknowledged that despite the compelling argument, there are few options open to investors who want to dive into water sooner rather than later, however. Funds investing in water infrastructure and technology companies remain thin on the ground, but this is set to change. Williams de Broe believes that the investment opportunities arising from the water demand theme will lie not with the global utility companies, but with companies involved with purification technology, water infrastructure and transportation. It may seem strange that in 2010 the range of water funds available isn't wider (although there are several exchange traded funds dedicated to water), yet investors are developing a thirst for water and it surely won't be long before the fund management firms seek to slake.