The £600 energy payment for Northern Ireland could still be rolling out in June 2023, an MLA has claimed.
Alliance leader Naomi Long said she was told by civil servants that the emergency winter payment to help with the rising cost of living could still be rolling out next summer if it continues as planned with the option of cashing out energy payments.
The payment was at the top of the agenda, along with the Northern Ireland protocol, when Stormont's five main parties met Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday evening.
Read more: Sunak holds talks with NI political leaders on first visit to Belfast as PM
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme on Friday morning, Ms Long said if the UK government continues as planned with the option of cashing out (to spend money on things other than electricity), the process may still be rolling out by June.
She said: “If the government wanted to do it the way they were suggesting (allowing people to cash out), they could start to deliver it in January but realistically it would still be being rolled out in June.”
"It’s a shocking admission of the lack of preparation that’s gone into any scheme and it leaves a major gap that I think has to be filled in terms of crisis payments to get people through the winter, they need it now when there’s snow and frost on the ground," she added.
UUP leader Doug Beattie said there has been "conflicting information" on the energy payment, but the Secretary of State said he will provide a date when it can be delivered.
Mr Beattie said he's "not sure we'll get a heads up on this issue before Christmas", adding that politicians here are "in the dark" about the scheme. The UK government has cited the "delivery mechanism" of the scheme as a problem.
DUP MLA Gordon Lyons said the Secretary of State said an update on the scheme will be made "imminently."
The Energy Bill Support Payment scheme was first announced by the government in May.
Households in Great Britain are having their energy bills cut by £400 over a six-month period, with a reduction of around £66 applied each month from October to March.
But Northern Ireland's different energy market and the absence of a Stormont Executive have been blamed for delays in rolling out a similar scheme in the region.
Northern Ireland households are receiving an extra £200 due to the complexities of its energy market. It was originally intended to be a £100 payment only for those who use home heating oil.
But the Treasury doubled the amount and extended it to all households "in recognition of the prevalence of alternative fuel usage in Northern Ireland."
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