A few further details have been revealed on Monday evening, 19 December regarding the £600 energy payment to householders in Northern Ireland.
In a statement to made to Parliament, Minister Graham Stuart (Minister for Energy and Climate) confirmed electricity customers who pay by direct debit will receive the £600 in their bank accounts. Customers who pay by pre-pay meters will receive a voucher which can be redeemed into a bank account or as cash.
Minister Stuart said:
"For Northern Ireland we have developed and will deliver a separate and bespoke Energy Bills Support Scheme, working with the separate Northern Ireland electricity suppliers, and respecting the very different nature of the energy market in that part of the United Kingdom.
"This scheme will also deliver for households this winter, with payments starting in January.
"The payment will be for £600, comprising £400 for the Energy Bills Support Scheme and £200 for the Alternative Fuel Payment, which all Northern Ireland households will receive, given the high level of alternative fuel use.
"The single payment will reach customers through their supplier, either direct to the relevant electricity bill payer’s bank account, or as a voucher which will need to be redeemed into a bank account or as cash.
"We are making funds available to suppliers for this purpose by the end of this year, so suppliers will be able to start paying customers in January.
"A further announcement will be made in respect of Alternative Funding support for those in Northern Ireland without a domestic electricity supply.
"I have also written to Northern Ireland energy suppliers setting out expectations for them to suspend all debt recovery and enforcement activity until the end of January, as well as provide payment holidays until the end of January when customers are struggling to pay their bills."
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