Summit Post
29 minutes ago Kerry Jamison BBC News NI PA Media Dr Caoimhe Archibald posted on X about a new one-off electricity bill reduction which Sir Chris Bryant reposted, saying the UK government funded it Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has questioned whether the secretary of state is "mischief making" after a social media exchange around energy payments. Archibald said she was "bemused and surprised" at his "intervention on social media". A UK government spokesperson said the funding for the Household Electricity Discount Scheme was provided through the prime minister's "commitment to remove VAT and some levies from electricity bills".
"As I have set out, the British government initially didn't intend that this support would apply here, we had to make the case for that, we then had to design a scheme," Archibald told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme. She described what Sir Chris said as "a little bit condescending". "Frankly I'm not sure what the secretary of state was up to, mischief making?
I don't know. But I think that question would be better posed to him." The minister said she has not been in touch with the secretary of state personally since the online exchange, but said she will continue to focus on finding a way forward in budget negotiations. What is the electricity discount?
Households across Northern Ireland will get the one-off £63 reduction in electricity bills from next month and it will be applied automatically without the need for an application. The schemes are being funded by the UK government. Bank payment customers will have their bills automatically reduced while pay-as-you-go customers will receive £63 in credit when they top up their meter.
The only complication for pay-as-you-go customers is they should not buy more than £112 of credit if they want to get the discount all in one go. That is because meters are set up to take a maximum payment of £175. Top ups over this value means the £63 payment will be split over a subsequent top up.
In announcing the scheme, Archibald said the money would "provide some help for families as winter kicks in and energy bills rise". She said the money would "provide some help for families as winter kicks in and energy bills rise". Her department agreed the NI scheme with the government and will deliver it to consumers.
A UK government spokesperson added that the scheme will "provide families in Northern Ireland with some breathing room on bills this winter". Getty Images Archibald said the money would "provide some help for families as winter kicks in and energy bills rise" Speaking to Talkback on Friday, Archibald said: "People here rightly would expect that if support is being put in place for people in respect of their bills in Britain that it absolutely should be put in place for people here also. "We have made the case, we have delivered the scheme.
"It is tax payers from here that are contributing to that and I think if there are going to be interventions in cost of living support then it has to apply here. "Ultimately the British government are the ones with the levers with the ability to make the interventions that we really need to see in terms of cost of living. "Ultimately I'm not sure the tone of the engagement from the secretary of state was particularly helpful," Archibald said.
Source: BBC
