Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has announced that payments from the £55million Energy Payment Support Scheme will start being paid from next week.
The one-off payment of £200 will provide support for people struggling to meet rising energy costs due to the global fuel crisis and will be made automatically to around 280,000 eligible people in receipt of specified benefits.
The payment will be made through existing payment channels from March 10, without the need for an application.
