Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has moved to challenge what she described as "false assertions" regarding an £81 million support package intended for domestic electricity consumers.

The funding in question was originally announced as part of the British Chancellor's Autumn 2025 Budget. Addressing recent public commentary, the Minister clarified that the total sum is not immediately available for rollout.

Minister Archibald stated: "It is deeply disappointing that false assertions are being made in relation to this funding, which will mislead people at a time when they are really worried about escalating energy bills.

"To be absolutely clear, my Department will not have £81million to support electricity bills in three weeks' time, the funding is over three years."

The Minister further explained that the distribution of these funds is currently stalled by legislative requirements outside of the Northern Ireland Executive's control. The support cannot be issued until the Westminster Parliament amends the Energy Prices Act 2022, a move expected to take place before the summer recess.

"As soon as this legislation is passed my Department will be ready to ensure local electricity consumers benefit," she added. Dr Archibald also addressed attempts to link this specific fund to recent spikes in energy costs caused by international instability. She commented: "It is also irresponsible to link this support to the current energy price surge as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. On this matter, I have spoken to and written to the British Energy Minister, urging immediate support for households facing hardship."

The Minister also took the opportunity to correct suggestions regarding the potential for means-testing the fund. She noted that the structure of the support was dictated by the British Chancellor, who decided that the reduction should apply to all consumers' bills uniformly, mirroring the approach taken in Great Britain.

Refuting claims that the Economy Committee had been left uninformed, the Minister said: "Claims that members of the Economy Committee did not have information on this matter are disingenuous, given that I updated the Committee in person on this on 21 January."

Department for the Economy officials are currently maintaining close contact with the Department of Finance, the Treasury, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to facilitate the delivery of the support once the legal framework is in place.