Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has secured agreement from the Northern Ireland Executive for a £36.4 million support package aimed at assisting households struggling with the cost of home heating oil. The initiative will provide eligible households with a £100 prepaid card, which can be utilised at heating oil suppliers.

The funding for the scheme comprises £17.2 million provided by the UK Government, supplemented by an additional £19.2 million from the Northern Ireland Executive.

Minister Lyons highlighted the necessity of the intervention due to the high reliance on oil heating in Northern Ireland.

He stated: "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."

The support package is designed to reach those most vulnerable to rising fuel prices. Eligible groups include: • Households in receipt of income-related means-tested benefits (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance).

• Households in receipt of Disability benefits.

• Pensioner households not in receipt of Pension Credit but with an income below £30,000.

• Households with an income below £30,000 that are not in receipt of income-related benefits.

Minister Lyons noted that the department is working to launch the scheme as quickly as possible and will announce further application details in the near future. He acknowledged that fuel poverty was already a significant issue in the region, affecting 24% of households prior to the recent surge in oil prices.

Looking ahead, the Minister outlined his broader commitment to addressing fuel poverty through long-term structural changes. "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," he added.