The UK prime minister has pledged that the £600 energy support payment will be paid to households in Northern Ireland later this winter on a visit to Belfast.
Speaking at the headquarters of shipyard Harland and Wolff, Rishi Sunak assured parties from across the province that the payment is coming this winter as he tried to break the deadlock between the political parties. He said he had been working hard to restore the Executive but issues regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol are still unresolved with the DUP still unhappy with a number of mooted solutions.
Meanwhile, the energy funding is designed to ease the cost burden caused by the soaring cost of energy bills but has been delayed due to issues around how the money will be distributed fairly. It will include a £400 payment as part of the UK support scheme, as well as an extra £200 given Northern Ireland’s reliance on heating oil.
