Northern Ireland executive approves scheme that will see households with income less than £30,000 provided with £100 vouchers to help with cost of heating
The Stormont executive has announced a scheme providing £100 prepaid vouchers to help people pay for the cost of heating their homes.
An additional £19.2 million in funding has been announced by the Northern Ireland executive to respond to the hike in fuel prices sparked by the war in Iran.
The vouchers will go to around 300,000 households, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said.
“The scheme will be application based, and details on how people can apply for the vouchers will be announced ahead of the scheme’s launch, but the current plans are for that to be by way of an online form.
“The scheme will be open to those households who are receiving an income-based benefit, a disability benefit or a state pension.
“In addition, recognising that it’s not just those who are on benefits that are in need, and that there are many hard pressed working households that need support, this will also be available to all of those households whose income is less than £30,000.
“That income threshold aligns with that of my department’s Discretionary Support scheme.”
Meanwhile, First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the executive wants to meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer about “stark” budgetary issues.
A lengthy meeting of the Northern Ireland executive was held on Thursday.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn had been invited, but did not attend because of “diary arrangements”.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting Ms O’Neill said the budget for Northern Ireland was “at breaking point” and the “picture that was painted by all ministers today when it comes to delivery of public services is stark”.
“Political choices being made in London are creating a really difficult atmosphere for our Executive to be able to work with,” she said.
“We have had invited Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State, along today – he couldn’t make it (because of) diary arrangements, apparently.
“However, we as an executive have today decided that we want to meet with Keir Starmer.
“We make a direct appeal to the British Prime Minister to meet with us in a cross-party delegation, because the budget realities that we face are so challenging and so dire and so difficult that he needs to listen to the concerns that all of us are expressing on behalf of the people that we collectively serve.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said that the people of Northern Ireland “cannot wait”.
She said the executive had decided to call on Sir Keir “to act and to act now”, because the UK Government has “the tools, it has the responsibility, and this is the moment to use both”.
“Our message to the Prime Minister is simple: this cannot wait. People cannot wait,” she said.
“We need a comprehensive package of support, and we need it now, because behind every statistic is a family and behind every decision we make (there) must be a determination to stand with them.”