At an Urgent Question yesterday I asked the Minister for Climate why households in Northern Ireland have been prevented from receiving support with their energy bills.

Northern Irish households are the most vulnerable to the cost of living crisis in the country, with a weekly discretionary spend of just £93, compared to the UK average of £204. They’re more likely to be living in fuel poverty. Yet they’re missing out on payments of £400 per household, with an extra £200 for the two-thirds of households in Northern Ireland that use heating oil, and so are not supported by the energy price guarantee.

It’s not good enough for the Minister to shrug this off as a devolved matter, when the Stormont Executive is not operational. People in Northern Ireland are part of the UK and should be getting help too.

Watch clip here.