Pay £400 energy payments to Northern Ireland households as soon as possible

National Energy Action (NEA) NI research is showing that 80% of households here have already cut down on their central heating, and most worryingly more than 1 in 10 households have had to forego meals to meet the rising energy costs.

NI householders have received significantly less help in the energy crisis than those in England Scotland and Wales. They did not benefit from the £150 council tax rebate and nor do they benefit from Household Support Fund. Furthermore, NI homes are not part of the Warm Homes discount scheme meaning vulnerable households miss out on an additional £150 every winter.

There is a clear need to ensure the £400 per household support reaches people in Northern Ireland ahead of this winter, to protect vulnerable households form the worst impacts of living in a cold home, including needless deaths and morbidity along with increased pressure on our healthcare services in the months ahead.

We ask that you approach this issue with the urgency it requires and commit to ensuring the emergency payments are allocated to households as soon as possible.