THE TREASURY last night signalled its commitment to delivering an energy discount scheme to households across the north in the absence of a Stormont executive.
It is feared hard-pressed families will be excluded from the British government's Energy Bill Support Scheme due to the DUP's ongoing refusal to nominate a first minister and restore the institutions.
The scheme announced yesterday for England, Scotland and Wales will see households receive £400 to help with rising fuel bills this winter.
Paid in six instalments, the scheme is expected to be rolled out in October.
Amid fears that the Stormont stalemate may mean the north misses out, the Treasury last night said it was committed to ensuring its energy discount scheme operated UK-wide.
“We know many families in Northern Ireland are worried about rising costs and we have introduced £37 billion of UK-wide support," a Treasury spokesperson said last night.
“The UK government is committed to providing an equivalent payment of the Energy Bill Support Scheme to people in Northern Ireland as soon as possible, easing the burden they face."
The spokesperson said officials were "working at pace to deliver upon that and we are in ongoing discussions with Stormont ministers".
The Department of Finance confirmed that minister Conor Murphy recently met the chief secretary to the Treasury and that engagement would continue "to ensure a solution is found to deliver support locally".
Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong MLA said householders' concern about how they would heat their homes was growing.
"The proposed £400 energy support scheme provided some hope for homes but without a functioning executive working to take decisions, we remain unclear as to how the support payments will be made here this autumn," she said.
The Strangford MLA urged the DUP to "end its boycott" to enable the formation of an executive and "clarity for these support schemes".
SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole called on caretaker executive ministers to "use every option available to them to support people through the cost of living crisis".
"The crisis facing families across Northern Ireland as a result of increasing food, fuel and energy bills just seems to be getting worse and worse," he said.
