Electricity bills discount due in September

A planned £30 discount to household electricity bills in Northern Ireland is due to be applied from September, Stormont's economy minister has said.

Caoimhe Archibald said she wanted the £81m scheme to be "as impactful as possible" as she updated assembly members on the plans.

All households are expected to receive a £30 reduction per year for three years as a result of the UK government funding allocated to reduce energy bills.

The minister had previously said the scheme would be ready to "go live" in July, but on Tuesday she said it was her "intention is to apply the discount from September".

The funding flows from an announcement made at the UK budget in November.

Archibald said the scheme requires legislation to be passed at Westminster, which she expects to happen before the summer recess.

She said her timeline was "subject to necessary approvals and legislation in place" and "allowing suppliers to make their required operational changes".

The minister added it was her "intention is to apply the discount from September when household electricity use tends to increase after the summer period".

"We want it to be as impactful as possible for households," she added.

Archibald said she was also working with the Community Foundation on a campaign to "encourage people who don't need the discount to donate the £30 to a fuel poverty charity".

"My intention is to involve the Consumer Council and consumer advocates including Community Foundation NI when developing communication for consumers," she added.

The minister said the £81m could only be used to develop a "comparable scheme to the one operating in Britain".

"It can't be repurposed for any other objective," she told assembly members.