Northern Ireland Executive agrees additional £19.2m to help with fuel costs

By Bairbre Holmes (Press Association)

Northern Ireland’s Executive has agreed to fund an additional £19.2 million to go towards helping low-income households with rising fuel costs.

The decision was agreed during a lengthy meeting on Thursday, and comes on top of the £17.2 million of support from the UK Government which was announced last month.

The scheme will mean 300,000 low-income families will receive £100 fuel vouchers.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: “It will make a difference, but it will not solve the problem.”

She and First Minister Michelle O’Neill called on Sir Keir Starmer to meet with the Executive.

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “Our message to the Prime Minister is simple, this cannot wait, people cannot wait.

“We need a comprehensive package of support, and we need it now.”

The new measures will mean eligible households will be able to apply for a £100 prepaid card that can be used at home heating oil suppliers.

Announcing details of how the scheme will work, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said it will be open to those receiving “an income-based benefit, a disability benefit or state pension” or with an income under £30,000.

He said the income threshold is based on the national minimum wage, “aligns with that of my department’s discretionary support scheme” and “represents a fair assessment of where the available funding can be directed”.

Pensioners will be eligible to apply if they are not in receipt of Pension Credit or if they have an income above 30,000.

Only one voucher will be available per household and will be for oil customers “at this time”.

Mr Lyons said roughly two-thirds of households, around 500,000 homes, in Northern Ireland rely on heating oil and recent price increases of “nearly 100%” have been “punishing”.

He acknowledged there has been criticism of “how long it has taken for us to progress this” adding “it was important that we brought forward something that would actually help, that was of sufficient scale, that would actually provide help to those who need it.”

Mr Lyons said he wanted to “manage expectations” and said it would “take time to implement”.

He said: “We need to make sure that we have the legislation in place, that we have the mechanism of delivery in place, and that we ensure that the eligibility checks are able to be carried out.”

Ms Little-Pengelly said the Executive “will have more to say in the coming weeks in terms of discounts to electricity customers, because obviously our Economy Minister has been working on that for some time”.

She also said the Infrastructure Minister spoke about “freezing transport fares” on Wednesday, adding: “That’s ultimately about giving people choice, because if you can’t put fuel in your car, you may choose to take public transport.”

Asked where the money for the scheme will be coming from, Mr Lyons said: “This is an Executive agreement, so the Executive will find the funding for that in line with the other pressures that we faced.

“That was the decision that was taken today.”