Treasury minister: We are working to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland get our £400 energy grant

I know that many families in Northern Ireland are worried about making ends meet, and this government will not sit idly by as the most vulnerable in our society struggle as the cost of goods and services rise in response to global pressures on our economy.

Supply chains are being disrupted as China is plunges back into lockdowns, shutting their factory doors and as demand for goods increases as the world emerges from the pandemic. This coupled with Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, is making prices and inflation spike across the world.

However, I recognise that none of this matters to the people in Northern Ireland that are struggling to provide for themselves and their children.

What matters now is what the UK Government can do to help you.

The strength of the union as we came together got us through the challenges of the past couple of years, and we will not let that spirit of support and determination fail now.

Throughout the pandemic, the Chancellor stepped in to help when it was needed, and as a result saved millions of jobs across the UK. This week, he has done the same and announced a £15 billion package of support to help UK households get through the tough months ahead. This comes on top of the existing £22 billion cost of living support he set out earlier this year, including February’s energy bills intervention and action taken at this year’s Spring Statement, such as a £330 tax cut for millions of workers through the NICs threshold increase in July and 5p cut to fuel duty. Government support for the cost of living now totals over £37bn this year.

I want to reassure the people of Northern Ireland that you will receive your share of additional support, despite the absence of an Executive in Stormont.

I firmly believe that helping the most vulnerable in our society is our moral and civic duty. The support the Chancellor announced earlier this week will help millions on the lowest incomes, pensioners and disabled people across the UK.

For those on the lowest incomes getting means-tested benefits, we are sending a one-off Cost of Living Payment of £650 directly into your bank account.

To ensure pensioners are kept warm this winter we are sending an extra £300 to everyone getting the Winter Fuel Payment – more than 8 million people in the UK.

And to help disabled people with the extra costs they will face, all disability claimants across the UK will receive a £150 disability Cost of Living payment.

On top of this, every single household in Great Britain will get £400 of support with their energy bills through an expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme, and we are urgently working to ensure that the people of NI receive the equivalent of this as soon as possible.

In total, this means that the most vulnerable households in Northern Ireland will receive around £1,000 of extra support this year.

This government has been clear that we must be responsible with our public finances, and many of you may be rightly wondering where the money is coming from to pay for this support.

That’s why we have introduced a temporary Energy Profits Levy, a 25% surcharge for oil and gas companies who have gained extraordinary profits this year as a result of record fuel prices.

However, we are keen to encourage the energy industry to continue to invest in the UK. That is why, within the surcharge, we are introducing a new ‘super-deduction’ style relief to encourage firms to invest in oil and gas extraction in the UK.

We are economically stronger as a UK family, and it is that economic might that allows us to intervene where needed and send help far and wide right into your pockets.

Once again, we have come together to face this latest challenge and I hope this announcement has helped to ease the stress and worry you may have felt over the past couple of weeks.

We will continue to support all corners of the UK, however it is vital that the political parties of Northern Ireland form a stable and accountable Executive to deliver on the issues that matter most to you.

• Simon Clarke is the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and