Ministers say only one voucher will be available per household and will be for oil customers “at this time”
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons speaking during a press conference at Stormont following an Executive meeting(Image: Liam McBurney/PA Wire)
A £36.4million support package has been announced for home heating oil users in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Executive has agreed to fund an additional £19.2 million to go towards helping low-income households with rising fuel costs, on top of £17.2m of support from the UK Government which was announced last month.
The decision was agreed during a lengthy Executive meeting on Thursday. The scheme will mean 300,000 low-income families will receive £100 fuel vouchers.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about £100 heating oil vouchersREAD MORE: Northern Ireland drivers cutting back on food and heating to keep cars running
Eligible households will be able to apply for the £100 prepaid card that can be used at heating oil suppliers. Approximately 500,000 homes in Northern Ireland rely on oil as a primary heating source.
Ministers say only one voucher will be available per household and will be for oil customers “at this time”.
Eligible groups identified as most vulnerable to increased heating oil costs include:
- Households in receipt of income-related means tested benefits, namely Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Income Related Employment and Support Allowance;
- Households in receipt of Disability benefits;
- Pensioner households not in receipt of Pension Credit with income below £30,000; and
- Households on incomes below £30,000 and not in receipt of income related benefits.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: “With roughly two thirds of homes in Northern Ireland relying on oil heating, recent price increases of nearly 100% in just a few weeks have been especially punishing here.
“This measure will deliver targeted support to more than 300,000 households to help hard-pressed working families and vulnerable people struggling to meet essential heating oil costs.”
Minister Lyons added: “My officials will work at pace to open the scheme and I will announce further details as soon as possible.
“With 24% of households already living in fuel poverty before the recent surge in oil prices, it is clear that the situation has only deteriorated.
“My ambition is to deliver lasting, meaningful support. Alongside this new measure, I will reform my Department’s Discretionary Support Scheme to ensure grant assistance is available to those in need, regardless of the type of home heating they rely on.
“In parallel, I am actively progressing work on a Warm Healthy Homes Fund to help make fuel poverty and cold, damp homes a thing of the past.”
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