An emergency fuel payment scheme cannot be reopened without a new Stormont Executive in place, the Communities Minister has said.
Sinn Féin's Deirdre Hargey said she was "deeply frustrated" as funding is available to resume the initiative but it "requires Executive approval".
The DUP is blocking the restoration of a power-sharing government in protest over Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.
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Most ministers remain in post in a caretaker capacity but they can only carry out limited functions until a new Executive is formed.
A £2m emergency fuel payment scheme had been in place between January and March to help applicants with rising fuel bills.
There have been renewed calls for the scheme to be reopened as cost-of-living pressures continue to hit households.
In response to a written Assembly question, Ms Hargey said: "I am fully committed to supporting people in need.
"I want to reopen the scheme and I have been assured by the Finance Minister there is funding available to do this, however this requires Executive approval.
"I am deeply frustrated that the absence of a functioning Executive prevents the reopening of this essential support scheme."
An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 households are living in fuel poverty in Northern Ireland, according to Department for Communities officials.
UUP MLA Andy Allen said it was "unacceptable" that the absence of an Executive was preventing the allocation of funding.
He has questioned whether the fuel payment scheme could still be reopened through "in-house easements" of departmental spending.
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan told the Belfast Telegraph the original scheme "grossly underestimated the need for support".
He said the DUP's decision to collapse the Executive was "deeply regrettable" and urged the party to "think about the damage they are causing".
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