£600 energy support payment to be made to Northern Ireland consumers in January

A £600 energy support payment will be made in Northern Ireland in January, it has been announced.

That includes a £400 payment as part of a wider UK-wide support scheme and an additional £200 in recognition of Northern Ireland’s dependence on home heating oil.

The UK Government said it will fund electricity companies for this payment with direct debit customers receiving the money into their bank accounts while other customers will be sent a voucher.

Consumers in the rest of the UK have already begun to receive energy support payments amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The political impasse at Stormont was blamed as hampering efforts to get the money paid out in Northern Ireland.

On Monday morning, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said all households in Northern Ireland will receive a single, one-off £600 payment to help with their bills.

They said payments will start in January 2023, made up of £400 of support under the Government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme Northern Ireland (EBSS NI), and £200 of support under the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) scheme, which will go to all households in Northern Ireland irrespective of how they heat their home.

The plan would see those in Northern Ireland receiving the full amount of energy bills support before households in Great Britain.

It will be administered by energy suppliers, and customers who pay by direct debit will receive the £600 into their bank account directly.

Other customers will be sent a voucher to redeem for the £600 payment, with further details of how they will work and what ID will be required to be set out.

Minister for energy and climate Graham Stuart is to write to Northern Ireland energy suppliers setting out his expectations.

He will urge them to suspend all debt recovery and enforcement activity until the end of January, as well as provide payment holidays until the end of January where customers are struggling to pay their bills.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris welcomed the move.

“I am acutely aware of the uncertainty and frustration that people across Northern Ireland have felt about their energy bill support,” he said.

“Families can start the new year knowing that they will receive the full support from January.

“I am grateful that officials and ministers and energy suppliers have found a solution, especially given the complexity of NI’s energy market, although I would have liked to have seen Northern Ireland political parties deliver this, as part of a restored Executive.”

Sinn Fein’s economy spokesperson Caoimhe Archibald said confirmation of the payment “will be a relief to people who are struggling with their bills”.

“Finally people have confirmation from the British Government that they will receive the £600 energy payment from January in a single payment,” she said.

“This will be a relief to workers and families who are struggling to heat their homes and keep the lights on as the cold winter begins to bite.

“We need immediate clarity on how vouchers for pay-as-you-go customers will be rolled out.

“It shouldn’t have taken this long to confirm when people would get help that they are entitled to because it was held up by the DUP’s boycott of the executive and Tory government delays.”

DUP MLA Gordon Lyons said: “We have some clarity for those that pay their electricity by direct debit.

“What we don’t have is any clarity whatsoever for keypad meter customers who make up a significant portion of the market here in Northern Ireland.

“We don’t know how that is going to be paid to them, we don’t know when it is going to be paid, we don’t know the verification system.

“These are all very complex issues. These issues were addressed in July and August time when we were looking at different schemes.

“I hope the Government have the answers to those questions, because right now nobody in Northern Ireland is any the clearer.”